


Uninvited

by Kireon



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Black & White | Pokemon Black and White Versions
Genre: Community: FicFags Anonymous, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-11
Updated: 2012-11-11
Packaged: 2017-11-18 10:55:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 43,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/560260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kireon/pseuds/Kireon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A first person perspective look into N's mind as he crosses paths with Touko on his journey to become the Hero of Unova and accomplish his dream. Rated for language, violence and potentially suggestive situations.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Uncharted Territory

Listening to the speeches of my loyal servants, I couldn't help but feel pleased and dismayed at the reactions around me. Some of them were rethinking their actions, the doubt in their voices as they questioned our goal was sweet and clear. A little more and they would release their Pokemon and separate themselves from that unequal "partnership".

I would pay them a visit later on, a personal one... even if most of the others felt these civilians weren't worth the honor.

Movement caught my eye several times, and I caught tendrils of amusement and exasperation from my true friends. Curious, I looked over to see what was going on... and felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

A boy younger than me with a surly look on his face was giving an absolutely venomous glare to his companion, rubbing his side as if it hurt for some reason. After a moment's observation, I saw why as he opened his mouth to say something and the woman's elbow drove directly into his side in a quicker movement than I'd have expected from her.

The amusement was coming from the pokeballs at her hip, and the exasperation from the ones on the sullen boy's belt. That's odd, why would Pokemon be amused about the squabbling of humans who kept them prisoner in those balls?

Whoever his companion was, she was clearly scolding him in a way that didn't disrupt the speech and returned her attention to it, her mouth curved into a frown as she listened. I found I didn't like that very much, even if I didn't know why. My fellow protectors and champions of a world where Pokemon and humans lived separate lives dispersed, gone to spread the word to other towns and cities, I decided to take a closer look at the two who'd caught my attention.

Maybe I'd figure out why they were so interesting to me.

I heard it as I approached.

_...fun. Always so much fun._

Happiness. I'd never heard a Pokemon express that it was... that it was  _fun_  to be with a human- other than me, of course. But all Pokemon knew I was their friend, it was just something none of them questioned. They could see inside my heart and I could see inside of theirs.

"Your Pokemon, just now... it was saying-"

They both turned to look at me, giving me a much better opportunity to analyze them both, giving me time to gauge an opinion of these two humans and see if either of them would need to be eliminated or if they could prove useful to my goal of fulfilling my dream for the betterment of all involved.

I like that boy even less than when I first saw him, now that I'm up close. His pokemon are annoyed with him, he's clearly someone who doesn't put consideration into his actions and is definitely too critical for his own good. He's the kind of person I hate the most, next to the bastards who abuse Pokemon and abandoned them for being 'weak'. He just runs his mouth off before thinking or considering someone's feelings, be they his "friends" or anyone else in his way.

People like him are the reasons Pokemon suffer so much.

His companion probably wasn't much better, I thought to myself as I directed my attention to her- and felt something in my gut clench in a way I've never felt before.

Somewhere, deep inside, I think I know this girl.

She's a couple years younger than I am, just on a guess, I don't care about humans that much to really think about things like that, with dark brown hair that... can really only be described as "fluffy", maintained in a ponytail kind of like mine- only she puts it through that stupid pink baseball cap that makes her look even younger than she is. She was wearing what I wouldn't consider decent clothing, part of me wonders if she gets cold running around in shorts like that, but she doesn't seem bothered by the chill of the autumn air as crystal blue eyes land on me.

Her eyes are pure, like a Pokemon that's never known abuse or cruelty.

I've never seen any  _human_  that pure before, whose eyes aren't tainted or blind when I look at them. I think I can grow to like these eyes, even if they are attached to a human who puts Pokemon into tiny prisons. If her eyes are anything to go by?

Touko, as I find her name to be, could be converted to my side. She's listening intently, not saying anything, just listening... unlike that idiot Che-something. Lowly clown, he's beneath my notice at the moment, with his eyes so tainted by selfishness, they're almost the same color as his hair.

_He_  is useless to me, lower than even the servants at my command.

I'm still talking to them as I start calculating their reactions, responses and what their threat is to my dream, or their usefullness.

That pure eyed girl could be  _very_  useful, even with the odd look she's giving me as I scold her for going down the wrong path. Pokedexes, Pokeballs... none of that is needed, she should know better than that. Someone with eyes as pure as hers should  _know better_.

It's up to me to remind her, she's been tainted by people like  _that_  boy next to her and that was why she couldn't hear the voices like I could. Up to me to remind her that there is so much more than what her tiny little world has shown her, has offered her... so much more than what she's been blinded with.

It's up to me to remind her that she could be a Queen.

I couldn't help myself, I challenged her to a battle. I wanted- no. I  _needed_  to hear the voices of her pokemon, I wanted to hear them reveal her heart to me. I wanted to see more of her than just a pretty face and pure eyes, wanted to see what it was she valued. Someone always said a Trainer's worth shows up in how they fight their battles.

I was not disappointed, even as I took my leave and left her with something to think about. As I released my friend back into their natural world, too preoccupied with thinking about where I was going to wait for her next, to see if Touko had learned anything from what I'd told her to see the sad look on the Purrloin's face as I walked away.

It was probably sad that I had to put it into a Pokeball just for a little while, now that I think about it. I'll have to apologize to all of them in the future, that way they know I don't mean it when I put them in there and they'll know they'll be free in no time.


	2. Somewhat Heartening

My plans are going well.

There's been an increase, according to my subordinates, in the number of people joining our cause. This pleases me, as it means more of my friends are being released back to their own world, where they never should have been taken from to start. I've made a mental note to go look into some of the locations the Pokemon were freed to, that way I'm able to make sure they're all doing okay, and to let them know they'll always be safe from any human harm.

I'm in Nacrene City now, though I'm puzzled as to how they can call it a 'city' when it's really nothing more than a bunch of warehouses being converted into something barely resembling an appropriate living establishment. I'm going to assume it's because they pour so much of their money into that precious death trap they call a Pokemon Gym.

Makes me sick even looking at that place, I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for the fact that there's a lot of potential new members just waiting to be discovered. Some of the 'starving artists' are actually pretty good, I've realized as I wander through building to building, maybe I can help them with a donation and they can do a painting of me as the Hero of Unova to hang up later.

That actually sounds pretty cool, and there was that one painting I really liked by that artist in that left building there by the forest...

Wait.

Did... Did I just see her again? That girl with happy Pokemon and pure eyes, what reason would she have to come here?

I quickly pick my way through several of the little back alleyways, easily climbing over the fences like I used to back when I was a child. It was great fun, especially when one of my friends needed to be rescued and we escaped together. It was good hero training, and I've kept myself in good shape, just like a hero should be. Peering around the corner, I notice that she's heading into the Pokemon Center. I can't make out their voices from here, but the look on her face is a little worrying.

I hope no one is hurt.

I frown slightly at that thought. I'm not fond of Pokemon Centers either, their intentions are honorable, I know that much. But they should really encourage the people who visit to let their Pokemon go, or should just take them away from bad people and release them once they're fully recovered. After a few minutes, I decide I'm going to investigate, just for a little bit to make sure her Pokemon are okay. I've mastered the art of not being noticed when I don't want to be, even if I am really tall and tend to stick out a lot.

Thumbing through the pages of a random magazine in one of the stands, I listen carefully to one of the pink haired nurses as she calls out the girl's name. Touko stands up and heads for the counter with four balls held protectively against her chest and stomach.

They say something I can't quite make out, but the sense of urgency and overwhelming concern on her face bothers me. The nurse nods and gives her what's supposed to be a reassuring pat on the shoulder before accepting the prisoners and taking them to be healed like just anything that comes in.

I want to be angrier about it, but watching her face... I can't bring myself to hate her. She's clearly beating herself up about something and trying not to show it as she dejectedly slumps down in a chair and stares at something for a couple minutes.

The nurse comes back out just as I'm about to go wander over there and see what she's doing, maybe tell her more about my dream and ask her if she wants to join as one of my subordinates and stands in front of her, not looking happy. I'm not liking what that probably means; I may have misjudged her, or her eyes were lying to me, just like I've seen others' do before.

"Honestly, what would your mother say if she saw you like this?" The nurse asks, sounding stern and incredulous at the same time, hands on her hips as she scolds Touko. I'm almost waiting for her to- there we go, now she's shaking her finger like I was expecting her to. I kind of want to laugh about it, but the looks on their faces are too serious for me to find it all that funny. "They're all completely fine, though they're wanting nothing more than to come out and see you, as  _you_  are the one they're worried about."

...they were what?

My thought was pretty much the exact look on her pretty- and dirty, why didn't I notice that before?- face. "W-What do you mean? They were acting like something was really, really  _wrong_. They're not hurt? I mean, Purrloin was about to go over one of the ledges and then Luka went after him and started g-going over," Great. She's about to cry now, can't that lady see? Her eyes are nearly glowing with tears, it's almost pretty, in a very sad way. "I tried to g-grab both of them and then  _I_  started going over before Amath-thea tried to grab the back of my vest and lose  _her_  balance."

Sniffling now, she's trying too hard to be brave. I watch her hands clench into fists as she glares angrily down at her knees, or at the floor, I'm not sure which right now. "And then Snivy tried coming out to help and  _he_  wasn't feeling good already after that battle with Cheren,"

Speaking of this 'Cheren'...

There's no sight of that stupid boy with a smart mouth either, and I'm unexpectedly annoyed by this. It sounds like it's all his fault that her Pokemon got hurt- even if she's responsible for making them battle against him too- and he didn't even have the decency to escort her here to make sure they were okay?

Maybe I need to send some of my subordinates to go talk to him.

Nurse Joy shakes her head and gives her another reprimanding look. "You're definitely old enough now that I shouldn't have to lecture you like this," She chides. "It's because  _you_  were hurt that they were acting strangely; we don't have Potions for humans, you know. We're a lot weaker than our Pokemon, it's why they protect us in ways we can't protect them."

My eyes snap to Touko's sitting form, automatically looking her up and down to see the extent of the damage. Dirty, I realize, she's pretty dirty and has grass stains on her shorts, legs and arms, as well as some grass bits stuck in her hair and on her torn vest. What I missed before were the angry looking red scrapes and scratches that barely looked scabbed over on her elbows and knees, she's looking at her hands now and they look pretty roughed up too.

I take that back, I think  _I'm_  going to go have a little "talk" with this Cheren kid.

I don't agree with Nurse Joy though. Pokemon can't protect humans without being hurt, they're not supposed to protect us. And it's even laughable that _we_  humans are arrogant enough that we claim to want to protect them. Not in the ways we should, anyway. The best way to protect Pokemon is to separate them from humans- to have our own worlds where we don't interact anymore.

I nod to myself, that's the only way it could ever work.

Touko bows her head again, and I tune the rest of what Nurse Joy says out in favor of watching her expression. She doesn't like being told what to do, I realize and try to hide a grin, and she  _definitely_  doesn't like being lectured. I'll keep this in mind the next time I approach her, it'll make it easier for me to figure out how to get her on my side.

Another nurse comes out with the stupid cages we keep Pokemon in, I hate looking at those shiny red and white spheres- even if that one odd white and red one is a little interesting, and hands them quietly over to the rough looking trainer with a gentle smile. "All done, I was expecting the worst when you came running in here all panicked and on the verge of tears, but they just needed an Oran berry and they were just fine." The stern one gives the other nurse a rather nasty look, I don't like her very much for how rude she's being, and finally sighs. "You should probably let them see you're okay," She says after a moment, resigning herself to the fact that she needed to stop lecturing and start being nicer again.

About time too, I think to myself.

Stern Joy smiles suddenly, even if she is still irritated with Touko, and speaks once more. "It does say a lot, however, that your first thought was to come here for them instead of thinking about yourself." She's actually  _praising_  her now. Humans are really confusing, I realize as I try to figure out what the heck was going through the woman's head. They're mad at someone one minute, and praising them the next. "Good job, Miss Touko. I wish more trainers were like you."

...why would we want  _more_  trainers? We need less of them. Less people who want to imprison my friends into tiny spaces that make them suffer, that's what we need. My frown deepens at her words, maybe I need to have a talk or two with  _them_  as well, not like the one I want to give that "friend" of hers, but a talk all the same.

"Wait here, I'll see if there's a shower and room available for you while I get some bandages and some antibacterial ointment for you. Those scrapes need to be taken care of before they get infected, you know." She scolds Touko  _again_ , but in a nicer sounding voice as she turns to head upstairs into the private rooms they sometimes lend to trainers who need a place to stay overnight. The other nurse bows quickly and practically skips back to her place at the counter, waiting for the next round of victims that need to be cared for and released back into the cruel hands of their owners.

 _..._ yeah, I  _really_  don't like Pokemon Centers.

Now that I know what happened to her and that her Pokemon are okay, I'm about to leave when the sound of Pokeballs opening and releasing their contents catches my attention. Sometimes I hate the part of me that gets curious, it makes things a lot harder than they should be, and I can't help but look behind me to see what's going on.

She's getting a team together, I realize with dismay and shake my head in disapproval. I  _knew_  she was going to catch more, I could see that from the beginning, but it's still not something I want to see up close. Forcing myself to be objective and reminding myself that I'm supposed to be a Hero, I listen to the sound of their voices as they crowd around her.

_...sorry, I'm sorry._

What? They're sorry? Why are they sorry? I stare openly now, confused by their reactions. They should be mad at her for getting hurt, for making them fight stupid, useless battles against other Pokemon. ...really, they  _need_  to be mad at her for getting hurt.

"...sorry guys," She says with a weak smile and a tremble in her voice. "I kinda blew it, didn't I? You guys did awesome against Cheren, totally kicked his butt... and I let you down." Purrloin- was that... no, there's no way it could be  _my_  Purrloin, could it?- leaped up into her lap, the sickle shaped tail slashing the air in a way I knew very well. It meant that the feline was annoyed. He placed a delicate purple paw against her cheek. After a moment, claws popped out far enough that they were barely touching the skin, surprising everyone- including me.

_Don't be stupid. Not at fault._

...he wasn't blaming her either. I'm not sure what to make of this and quietly begin contemplating this. What kind of person was Touko anyway? What power did she have that made Pokemon mysteriously trust her and have fun with her like this? The others' hearts said similar things, though some were more concerned about the scratches than anything else and the Blitzle, I think that's who she called 'Amalthea', was rather sorry about ripping her clothes.

"It's okay guys, I'm okay." She says to them, reaching out and comforting each of them in some way. One by one, and little by little, they were reassured and, in return, seemed to be doing what  _they_  could to reassure her. I'm not sure what to make of this, the only time I've ever seen Pokemon act like that is around  _me_. Maybe I haven't really taken the time to judge her well enough yet. I thought she'd make a good subordinate, maybe even someone high up in the rankings other than just the regulars who serve me and are under my protection.

I'm starting to think that this trainer, Miss Touko, as the people who don't know her are calling her, is a little more unique, a little more special than I initially thought. I avoid Purrloin's gaze as it turns its attention toward me, it's definitely my friend from Accumula Town, I know this now, and head for the door without looking back... even though it's hard to resist doing it.

My hand immediately seeks the cool chain, running down the links as I fiddle with the Menger Sponge hanging heavily off the end. It's been my favorite thing, aside from my friends that is, since I was little. It's always brought me comfort in times of stress and confusion, or when I'm really agitated like I'm starting to feel right now.

"Perfection," I mumble to myself as I head toward the outskirts, toward Pinwheel Forest to meet up with the loyal men and women awaiting my arrival. "That's what we're striving for; a perfect world where no Pokemon is hurt or bothered by humans."

I need some time to think, I need some distraction that doesn't include the girl in the Pokemon Center right now. The one who continues defying my expectations and shaking things up that I don't want shaken. Once I'm back to myself again, I'll find her, probably at the Gym since she's a Trainer, and I'll see what the voices of her Pokemon say this time.

Maybe I'll figure out a way to get the answers to the questions I have, but don't know how to ask, that way.


	3. Not Allowed

Father is not pleased.

Admittedly, I'm entirely to blame today, I couldn't really stop thinking about the connection between a human being and pokemon, about what it was supposed to mean, about what it means in the long run.

How it will potentially affect my dream.

I am a King, crowned and sworn fealty to by Team Plasma, my underlings who understand I am not like the rest of them; I am something so much more, something greater than they can ever imagine. I am not like the rest of them, I am not normal, not ordinary and everyday.

I am born as a King, soon to be the Hero of this region and then, eventually, the entire world. I, and I alone, have been given the responsibility to settle upon my heart, my body and my mind, on my shoulders to decide the fate of the world and those who live in it. It's a tough role to fill, a daunting one filled with peril and unimaginable pain that wears down a body and a heart pretty fast.

It's no wonder I'm the only one who can do it; I'm the only one strong enough.

A King has a lot of responsibility, you know. You have to rule your subjects with wisdom and intelligence. A King cannot be weak, cannot have a weakness to exploit. Never should a true King suddenly explode with temper, overreact, or show that something an enemy has said or done has affected him on a personal level. Nothing may disturb you as you are carrying the weight of your people on your shoulders, else you are not fit to be seated at that throne.

I pause to study movement rustling at the edge of the forest, curiosity giving me pause as a couple of Pidove continue squabbling over a piece of something and settle the matter in their usual way. I'm working on a perfect world for you. I tell them silently, knowing they'll hear me as I keep walking down the empty streets of Nacrene City. Everyone in their right mind is asleep in bed, like I should be... probably would be if I didn't have so much on my mind.

I know my bodyguards are just trying to help, they know the kind of things Father does when he is displeased and I have failed him, and they were really trying to help me, I get that. I really do get it, it's their job after all. I can sense them keeping watch about twenty yards or so, perching on the corner of a roof like it's the easiest thing in the world to do.

He knows about her.

But, at the same time, they didn't have to tell Father or the Sages present about Touko.

I mean, it's not like she's a threat or anything to our plans. Sure, I've heard the mutters from a couple of my men and women that I really didn't like the sound of, mutters that had her name included, along with some other things that I'm not going to bother repeating. But she's not a threat to our dream, to the goal we will achieve by finding and awakening the legendary Pokemon of Unova.

...is she?

I contemplate this as I continue my walk around a sleeping, empty city. The unease I feel isn't easing up any, and it's probably time for me to think about something other than her and my father's mild interest in her. I should stay away from her for a while, that way the Shadow Triad doesn't have any other fuel to fan the flames of father's interest.

At least they didn't tell him that I lost to her in battle. That would interest him more than anything else; I don't lose. Ever.

I'm not very good at straightening out these... human things, the complex relationships between one another, how they inspire reactions that make no logical sense in one another to become close, or to be enemies. They aren't like formulas, not like equations that can be figured out with time and patience.

They are unknown factors; the kinds that make a problem frustrating.

I begin trying to soothe my mind and my agitated heart down by thinking up some of my favorite problems and building upon them, making them more complex just so that I can simplify and solve them a little while later. I'm really good at this, I can look at something and almost always make an equation or formula of some sort out of it, and then solve it not too much later. It's how I'm good at what I do; when you boil it down, you can make it into simple mathematical equations and the rest is easy.

Translates really well into strategy, let me tell you.

Do you only offer your hand in pity, or are you looking for something long term?

Going to make a note here; Heroes don't almost climb phone poles out of fright.

Forcing myself to release the death grip I had on the metal, my eyes narrow as I see a form that almost, but not quite, blends in with the shadows in an alleyway. I know this voice, it hasn't been more than a handful of days since our parting... and less than seven hours since we'd last seen each other in that stupid Pokemon Center.

He sauntered out, somehow looking more regal, self-assured and confident than he had when I had found him. Richer in spirit too, I think to myself with a frown, something in my chest stinging slightly. Jealousy? No, that was an unbecoming emotion, a useless and unnecessary one for a King like myself who would become a Hero. King of Heroes, I like that. I'll have to start using that title.

You are still the same, reminding yourself of what you're looking for. Purrloin commented, more than a slight note of disapproval in his voice as he stretched out and curled his scythe-like tail around his paws. Jewel green eyes narrowed in his direction as he sat, still partially concealed by the shadows he preferred to roam in.

"Helps me stay focused." I am not explaining myself to a feline. They have a way of taking what you say, twisting it and flinging it back to you so that you realize it's a bad idea and abandon it. Usually because it doesn't suit their purpose, but I digress. Not going to play that game with him. Not this time, anyways. "You... look well."

I want to ask, but I don't. He's definitely a picture of health; fur freshly brushed and groomed, he probably loved every minute of the preening and attention doted upon him, and well fed. His pelt is practically shining in the dark from what I can see of him, and there's a feeling of... contentment that was never there before. Why? Why would he remain content after everything he'd been through?

As if sensing my confusion, he purred in my direction. She is good to all of us. No one is left out, uncared for or favored over the other. The fuchsia feline padded towards me, never taking his great eyes off of my own, stopping about a foot away before tilting his head to one side, tail slashing the air as if agitated in his own right. I can sense his anger and his hurt just as strongly as if he had embedded his claws and fangs inside my chest and were ripping me apart little by little. She does not suddenly leave us behind.

The accusation was more than painful, and it's almost enough that I nearly miss the fact that he wears a small, black silk ribbon around his neck in the exact place I had torn my own hands open trying to remove a crude collar of twisted wire and chain that'd dug into his throat. That alone says volumes; he wouldn't let me touch his throat for four days after I took him into my care.

"I don't know what you want me to say." I finally give in and say. I'm not winning this one, just like I haven't been able to win at anything today. It's just a really, really bad day. "I promised you freedom, and I gave it to you."

I also promised myself to figure out a way to stop talking so fast, but I'm apparently failing at that again too.

Purrloin sat back down, tail still angrily swishing from side to side on the concrete. You gave me freedom, He agreed, still staring hard at the uncomfortable man in front of him. But you didn't give me choice, N. You never asked me what I wanted to do after that. Anger just as quickly turned to sorrow as he padded closer to the crouching human, bumping his cold hand with his nose and rubbing against him as he'd done before. I would have stayed, you know. All you had to do was ask me, and I would have lent you my power for your dream.

I don't know what to make of that and my butt finally makes contact with the concrete, the feisty know it all in my lap in a heartbeat, purring at me the entire time while rubbing his head beneath my chin. Again, I'm disappointing Father by showing weakness, my hand reaching up to this damn cat's oversized head and scratching his ears.

No, this isn't showing weakness. I love Pokemon, there's nothing wrong with me showing it either. Especially not when it's an old friend like this. ...especially when it's an old friend I've let down, and will have to keep letting down in a lot of ways. "Sorry," I tell him softly, comforted by the vibration of the purring against my chest and throat as I indulge the small cat in an embrace, much as I would have done even as a child. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to your voice."

I don't look at him.

I don't want him to see me cry.

Walking him back to the Pokemon Center is harder to do than I imagined. He hasn't said anything more about wanting to come with me, or leaving Touko like he'd implied before. "Why did you let her touch your neck?" I finally ask, unable to solve that equation in my head as I walked down the street with him in my arms. "You wouldn't even let me do that at first, I had to beg you to let me clean the injuries so that you didn't die from them."

Purrloin stopped the soothing rumble, steadfastly refusing to look up at his friend as he tried to find a way to word it. He was a King among Purrloin, as he had been told by the man holding him, and as such, had to choose his words carefully. Especially when he knew how N's own heart worked. She's a lot like you, N. More than you realize right now. He finally said, somewhat reluctant to put it in that exact phrasing, but not sure how else to put it.

Pokemon were much brighter than Trainers gave them credit for, and their speech patterns were quite complex, each language more fluid than the next when it came to interacting between species. It was a wonderful, elegant thing that would never, ever change. Not even with the introduction of humans into the lives of those whose families had proudly bragged about being untouched by the trainer population. So, while he may have been able to explain this in a better way to another Pokemon... trying to explain it to a human was pretty much damn impossible.

The puzzled look on N's face only seemed to solidify the cat's belief that, when it came to language, Pokemon were the masters of it, and humans were just clumsily figuring things out on their own. Purrloin struggled a little in his grip, placing a paw atop the place he could feel and hear the heart beating strong beneath muscle and bone.

Here. You two share this in common. He said finally, pausing a moment to scrape his rough tongue against one of the salt trails still lingering on the man's cheek. You share this in common too, the purple cat remarked with a mildly embarrassed, but grateful note in his voice. You both wept when you saw what happened to me.

"Purrloin?" The cat and I both jump slightly, looking at each other in surprise as a familiar voice came not too far away from where we were hanging out in the shadows of an alley. Heh, we're both alleycats it seems.

Bad joke, N. Disapproving tone of voice and a growl that was pretty much silent. Oh well, I guess he wasn't feeling too much like making jokes right now. I really shouldn't be either, but for some reason, I'm kind of scared she's going to look in the right direction and I'm going to get yelled at.

Probably next time we see you, she thinks about you and gets really mad. She has an impressive growl too, my mother would have been pleased to hear it. Purrloin added saucily, expression back to the typically 'up to no good' his species is renown for having. Well, right up there next to their dirty little trick of getting out of trouble; they are quite good at being cute enough to get away with committing murder.

He eyes me. Someone has to keep the Pidove population down. Just because they're stupid and easy to catch does not mean they make good companions. A small pink tongue tastes the air, as if he scents some of the birds around. Probably can, I've seen them around. Besides, I'm far too cute to stay mad at for long.

"Purrloin?" There's a slightly anxious, exasperated hiss in her voice as she calls out my friend's name, I can't see her very well and I think that's a good thing. Her silhouette has both hands planted firmly on her hips. "Seriously, are you gonna make me do this at two in the freakin' morning?"

You know it. He gave his version of a chuckle, nuzzling against me one more time before leaping down gracefully to the cement below. Green eyes sparkling with mischief, he stretched himself out and waited, grooming a paw and shamelessly washing his face. It's fun to annoy her, almost like annoying a female of my species.

"I swear," I hear her mutter. "When I get my hands on you, you stupid, furry little pain in the-" I shoot a worried look over at the cat. He's been through a lot, and it sounds like she really intends to do him some serious harm. I look back to see her rubbing her forehead, the girl stepping forward a little more to stand in the lamp light.

...why does the girl wear more clothing to bed than she does to go running around cities?

Her hair is braided back and nowhere near as fluffy as it was usually was and she's dressed in an oversized white t-shirt that slips halfway off of one shoulder and a pair of dark blue sweatpants. She's also barefoot, and I think she's probably a little insane; I'm fully clothed and I'm cold looking at her. I watch as Touko takes a deep breath, lets it out and looks around.

"Can't believe I'm doing this," She says with resignation. "Here kitty, kitty, kitty!" Her voice is sweet when she calls out, I think she's embarrassed, as her face is turning kind of red as a result.

And that's exactly why I have nothing to fear from her. Purrloin tells me as he meows loud enough to give her cause to look in our direction. He hesitates a moment as she calls out again, a little louder this time and moves towards us, trying to pinpoint where the sound had come from. She's a good enough person to come looking despite how chilly it was outside. I wonder when she noticed him missing from the rest of her group?

N?

I blink, looking away from the girl, down to the expectant, unsure gaze of my friend, tilting my head in the silent way he'd done several times at first, before he'd allowed me to hear the voice of his heart. I don't want her knowing I'm here, it'd be a little too weird right now, and I have too much to think about without worrying about her wanting to know what I'm doing or if I have a place to go. She'd probably try and take me into the Pokemon Center, thinking I didn't have a place to sleep. Yeah, I can see her being that kind of person, kind of pushy and bossy when she thinks she knows what's best. Kind of like Purrloin, come to think of it.

He looks at her, and looks back to me before speaking again. ...she'll be heading for the gym in two days. That'll be your best chance, she's busy with Cheren and Bel tomorrow.

I contemplate this as I watch him streak through the night and practically give her a heart attack when he jumps up on her shoulder without warning. I don't like the feeling of guilt that comes with seeing him again, he's my friend... I should feel like this. Neither one of us should. Just because I'm his first friend, doesn't mean I expect him to keep me updated on what she's doing. It's not like I'm interested in her or anything, she's just... a bit strange. Kind of like me, but different from me.

…

My fingertips touch the place that his paw had lingered over. My heart's beating beneath it and I walk the other way through the messy alleyway, picking my way carefully as I contemplate what my friend told me. "The same?" I ask the night, not expecting an answer, just wanting to voice the question aloud. What about my heartbeat and hers were the same?

I sigh, feeling a little dejected. It's going to be another really long night that won't let me sleep. He just gave me another riddle, another puzzle to solve and I won't be able to rest until I have at least four answers in front of me worked out as possible answers.

...two days, huh. That should be plenty of time for me to figure out an answer.

It'll give me enough time to get a good question for her, before I take her down in battle and show her the power I have at my disposal.


	4. Chapter 4

She's five hours late.

Don't most Trainers challenge in the morning or at noon? I've been across the street at this admittedly decent little cafe since seven this morning, waiting for her to show up.

"Um... sir?" A timid sounding voice sounds from behind my left shoulder, I'm actually pretty startled and jump, looking at her in alarm. Apparently I scared her too, as she jumps too and holds the little round serving tray tightly against her chest like a shield.

"Y-yes? Can I help you with something?" Came out in stammered rush. Not exactly the most confidence inspiring response I could have given her, I think I want to kick myself for being so completely lame.

She peers at me, apparently slightly comforted by my response and no longer as intimidated. Sometimes humans act like hurt Pokemon and get scared, I've found. They're not as easy to reassure though, and they're more prone to lashing out with the intent to hurt too. "You've, um... been sitting there for a long time." She still sounds timid, I need to do what I did to make the loyal members of Team Plasma follow me to begin with and earn her trust. People are kind of like Pokemon, they need to know they can trust you and that you have their personal best interests at heart. They're also kind of like my favorite problems; everyone has  _something_  you can add, multiple, divide up or take away to get them to do what you want.

So, I smile at her in a way I'm sure is reassuring.

Apparently something is wrong with my smile, as her eyes are even bigger than they were before and her face turns an alarming shade of reddish pink. While she stammers out something about being in the same place for several hours, which I have been, I take a moment to look at my reflection in the glass, smiling still and feel it fade.

I don't suddenly have fangs or any teeth missing, and there's certainly nothing caught in my teeth either.

I take some of my thoughts from before back;  _most_  humans are easy enough to manipulate to get to do what I want them to. Others, like I'm suspecting this poor worker happens to be, are just a little too... out there to be put into a scientific or mathematical formula. Kind of a pity, really, because the really complex formulas are beautiful. "Has it really been so long?" I ask, checking my watch like I haven't noticed I've been here for five hours, thirteen minutes and forty-six seconds.

Apparently my waitress has managed to find her voice again, though it has a concern inducing squeak to it that can't possibly be healthy, as she speaks to me. "Are you, um, e-expecting someone?"

I study the brown haired girl for a moment. She's not remarkable in any way, certainly no beauty that will break the hearts of those around her. I don't even see any pokeballs on her person either, though she could be hiding them... somewhere, maybe in the apron of her uniform. Just plain, though I'll admit the smattering of freckles across her cheeks and over the bridge of her nose are kind of cute in an endearing way. Her face darkens in that pink-red color again under my scrutiny.

She should really get that checked out.

I smile again before responding, injecting a note of sheepishness in my voice. I've found it's easier to deal with humans if you pretend you're kind of an idiot, and inferior to them in some way. "...that obvious, huh?" I rub the back of my stiff neck for good measure, giving her what I hope looks like a troubled expression and not gas, as I heard one of my loyal soldiers comment once to another trying to imitate someone else. "I'm sure she forgot to set her alarm again, that's all. Or she slept right through it, long week and all, you know."

...do I sound like I'm babbling again? I don't even know if Touko uses an alarm clock or if it really has been a long week. I'm suddenly more than a little worried about how I'm handling this interaction; do heroes tell small white lies in order to avoid close scrutiny or do they always, one hundred percent tell the truth even in the face of potentially great opposition? Out of the corner of my eye, I see a familiar pink hat and try to stand up a little too sharply, and it jerks me out of that potentially dangerous thought cycle.

Well, that and smacking my knees against the edge of the table also helped me break out of the direction my anxiety ridden thoughts were turning toward.

Making a memo to myself here; legendary heroes do  _not_  say bad words when they crack their knees against something hard.

And it's probably a good thing I'm not quite up to legendary hero status- that  _really_  hurt.

A small wad of bills plops down on the tabletop and I give the little waitress another smile, albeit slightly pain filled, and tip my hat slightly in her direction. "Actually, change of plans. I'm going to go meet her, sorry to have troubled you for so long."

Put a little extra "something" in their direction, like I said, and people are pretty much willing to overlook about anything if you're convincing enough.

_**\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

Long legs are good for something other than smacking them on sharp corners and I'm able to catch up with her in almost no time flat.

This is it.

This is the moment I've been waiting for.

...you know, I don't think I should have had that sixth cup of coffee.

She looks nervous, stopping to look at... some inane advertisement or another a bit away from the Gym itself, giving me plenty of time to get myself into the perfect position to catch her by surprise. Nervous, huh, I think to myself and steal another look over my shoulder, hoping she doesn't look up and see me. That'd be kind of awkward, and from what Purrloin said a while ago, she didn't have a lot of good things to say about me.

But she's hesitating before something all Trainers tend to throw themselves at blindly and with great enthusiasm?

That's interesting to me, she usually gives off the air of someone confident and self-assured enough to take on whatever the world may throw at her and overcome it with ease, kind of like me. I wonder if this means she has her doubts and weak moments too, like any other human being?

I plan my interruption carefully, waiting until she's finished probably giving herself a pep talk and encouraging herself to go through with another useless, senseless battle against an over-paid and under qualified "Gym Leader". I don't like Pokemon Centers, but I really,  _really_  can't stand Pokemon Gyms or their Leaders. Those people piss me off like none other save for those who mistreat and abuse

She's heading my way now. Stay calm, N. Heroes don't get worked up over a mere girl.

Her Snivy is once again atop her hat, rather happy with the spot as her head is apparently warm through said accessory and is closer to the sun than the ground. I need to get a little closer, but I have a feeling he's close to evolving. Impressive, all things considering. And he's by no means complaining about being worked to hard either, quite the opposite. He wants to go in and fight as quickly as possible, it's impressive how clear his voice is even from this distance.

Miraculously, she doesn't see me as she walks past, her eyes too focused on the steps leading up to the Gym to pay much attention to her surroundings. She should really fix that, it'd be all too easy for the wrong person to take advantage of the opportunity.

Come to think of it, I'm a genius for insisting that everyone in Team Plasma have a companion aside from their Pokemon; prevents such situations from happening. I should let her in on that little secret.

...the traveling with another person thing, I mean. Not the potential kidnapping victim part; that might sound a little  _too_  creepy coming from someone she doesn't know.

I step out of the place I'd been kind of, but not really, hiding in and speak, keeping my conversation light and casual sounding as I try to get her attention. "I... want to see things that no one can see. The truths of Pokemon inside Poke Balls, the ideals of how Trainers  _should_  be..."

She jumps pretty high when she's startled.

A funny feeling inside my stomach and chest starts bubbling up and I have to resist the urge to suddenly start laughing at her, and I'm having a hell of a time fighting back a grin too. Coughing politely to try and dispel that odd pressure, I continue before she gets a chance to go off on me like her expression is suggesting she's getting ready to. "And... I want to see a world where Pokemon have become perfect."

I flash her the same cheerful smile I gave that waitress in the cafe. "What about you, Touko? Do you feel the same?"


	5. Deliberate

Apparently my smile has a certain effect on young women, as even Touko's face suddenly turns an interesting shade of pink almost immediately after. Interesting reaction to a smile, I think to myself and wonder if it's something I'll have to test on other people to get more information. Pokemon too, I wonder if they'll suddenly look like the humans do when I smile at them like this. It's another unusually warm autumn morning and I understand why Snivy is content to perch on her hat to get closer to the warmth of the sun.

He's not looking rather happy at the moment, eying me with quite a bit of distrust as his little hands grip on to the side of her head just a little more. My _trainer. Not leaving._ I hear him as he glares at me, lifting his haughty chin as if daring me to challenge his claim. I raise an eyebrow at him in response. They say a Pokemon tends to adapt personality traits from their Trainers, I wonder which part, if any, of Touko he's adapting into his own proud nature.

"Give me  _one_  good reason, just  _one_ , why I shouldn't come over there and the crap out of you," Touko snaps angrily at me, her blue eyes alight with an inner fire caused by her fury. Purrloin wasn't kidding, she's  _really_  mad at me. I try to remember the last time I heard someone threaten to cause me physical harm. It's been a while, for sure. Long enough that I don't remember anymore.

...I wonder if telling her, 'because I'm bigger than you' is a bad idea?

Not going exactly as I'd planned it, but a little banter before a battle is considered normal. She's probably bluffing anyway; she doesn't  _really_  want to try and beat me up. "I'll answer that with another question," My tone is playfully light and I'm still smiling, though more amused than anything else. I think she knows that and it's only pissing her off more. For some reason, it's kind of fun to watch people lose their tempers. Her eyes are pretty as is, but when she's this worked up, they shine like how I imagine Reshiram's eyes must have back in the days where the legendary Pokemon roamed the planet. "Why am I trying to dissuade you from beating me up?"

I don't think I've ever seen someone actually stomp their foot before, I can't help but chuckle at the sight. Granted, it only riles her more than she was before, but a temperamental girl isn't anything to be worried about. Rampaging, furious Pokemon with a penchant for doing harm to themselves, humanity and other Pokemon, however, are something else entirely.

There really is no comparison between the two.

"You just abandoned him on the side of the road and you expect  _me_  to be okay with that?" She manages to get out from between tightly clenched teeth. Her jaw's going to crack if she keeps that up, and I've heard that's an unpleasant experience from several of my friends. The comment she's made wipes the smile off my face. Talk of abandoning someone isn't a funny subject and it's a good way to ruin a perfectly light hearted mood and bring out the jerk in me.

"I haven't  _abandoned_  anyone," I inform her, more than a hint of ice in my tone as I widen my stance a little, settling the weight into the balls of my feet just in case. A King cannot always rely on his protectors; he must always be ready to protect himself as well. "and on what grounds are you basing this off? I want to know."

It'd be easier to have her taken prisoner and interrogated, come to think of it. But I don't see her as the type who will lie just to get herself out of trouble. I'm proven right when she practically rips the zipper off the pink bag she carries with her and nearly breaks the poke ball when she throws it out. Purrloin appears in a flash of white light that forms his outline and settles him in a rather comfortable looking position. His eyes open and notice me there. _...you didn't listen to me._  His tone is laced with an odd note of resignation and disappointment.

You've never been scolded until you've had a Purrloin or any from the feline species of Pokemon patiently sitting there and telling you how stupid you are.

"I'm talking about  _this_  poor guy," She's definitely raised her voice by now and if she creates a big scene, it won't be good for me. Here I'd thought she looked like the cheerful type who didn't get easily angered. ...then again, people say the same of me until they say something they know I won't like and my own carefully managed temper explodes. "who happened to be sitting on the same road you probably took outta town and looked  _really_  depressed."

Purrloin kind of looks like he'd rather be back in his poke ball. For once, I really don't blame him, if I were in his place, I'd wanna go back into a place I didn't have to hear her yell and embarrass herself.

Her tirade almost complete, she angrily brushes the hair out of her eyes and folds her arms over her chest. "Dunno about  _you_ ," She says in a tone of voice that makes me remember what Purrloin had said about her having an impressive growl. "But where  _I_  come from? That's abandoning your friend." A low, uncalled for shot. I think she did it on purpose, judging by the look on her face.

On one hand, it makes me kind of happy that she recognizes the delicacy of a Pokemon's feelings and that they're supposed to be friends. On the other?

I  _really_  don't like getting lectured; especially by a girl younger than I am.

 _Told you she was, I think you humans say, 'pissed'._ Purrloin chimes in in a most unhelpful manner. Then again, if a cat is being helpful, you're probably already doomed anyways.  _Ask her what you can do to in order to gain her forgiveness._

What?

Why am I asking  _her_  for forgiveness?

That must have showed on my face, as the sleek purple cat stretched and regarded me calmly.  _You want the answer to the equation, don't you?_  He asked me smugly, knowing damn well I wouldn't be able to fight back against that particular bit of logic and bit back a groan of frustration. A Hero, a _King_ ; they do not  _ask_  or have to  _beg_  for forgiveness from someone lower in station than themselves. They are the ones who grant it out of the kindness and generosity in their heart.

"...I still stand by what I said before," I tell her finally, a reluctant note in my voice as I try and figure out  _how_  to ask a girl younger than me for something as stupid as forgiveness for something she couldn't even possibly begin to understand. "I abandoned no one,  _but_ ," I hold up a hand to stave off her outburst for the time being. "I will agree that I did not give him the choice to come with me." I look down at Purrloin again, the hard set to my jaw softening as I smile despite my irritation. "For that, I'm truly sorry, please forgive me?"

 _That was a nice loophole there, N._  Purrloin replied and turned to smooth a patch of fur on his shoulder before looking back at me.  _You already know I've forgiven you._  Green eyes left mine and went to the still volatile teenager behind him.  _She, on the other hand..._

The skepticism on my face must have amused him greatly, as I was trying to figure out if she had mysterious psychic powers or something when I hear the sound of my name. Startled, I catch what she's thrown at me on reflex, staring down at it with a puzzled look before looking up at her.

"I don't understand," That's not a hard confession to make; I really  _don't_  get why she just threw a poke ball at me and hold it up. "What's this for? Other than for imprisoning Pokemon, that is." I'm quick to remind her that I don't like this whole "catching" business... and to make sure she doesn't get anymore of a reason to be a smartass than she's gotten already.

Her expression changes from pissy to... kind of sad in the span of a moment. Are  _all_  of her reactions this fascinating and quick to change? "It's Purrloin's poke ball," Something in her now gentle voice is still kind of scolding-ish, as if I should have already figured that out. "You said you didn't give him a choice before, right?"

I nod, suddenly seeing what she's going to do and more than a little confused about  _why_  she was doing it. She's caught him fair and square, even if I don't think the whole thing  _is_  very fair to him, being stuffed into a ball like that, so in all technicality, he does belong to her. "Right, but-"

This time she's the one raising her hand, imitating me as she gestured for me to let her finish and tucked her brown hair behind her ear. "He has the right to choose whether or not he wants to continue his journey with you, or if he wants to stay with me." She pauses a moment, blue eyes landing on Purrloin with a wistful look, as if she's already preparing to say good-bye to him. "Or even if he'd like to return to his territory to carry on by himself."

Now I kind of feel like a jerk for some of the things I've been thinking about her.

We both look at Purrloin, the purple cat strangely solemn as he looks between us, tail lashing in agitation and await his decision.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

"...okay, so bird versus snake doesn't end well." Touko mutters as she recalls the dizzy looking pokemon, kissing her poke ball as she tries to decide who to send out next. Pidove looks rather pleased with himself at the victory, fluffing his feathers and cooing happily. I'm annoyed with myself for enjoying this battle. I shouldn't be, and neither should she as she chooses the Blitzle I'd seen her with a couple of days ago.

Crap, she's either getting smarter about this, or she's just going in order of who happens to be on her belt. I've met Trainers of both types and part of me just hopes she's not smart enough to realize the little bird Pokemon's weakness to electric based attacks.

...then again, it's kind of hard not to when I've seen them fly right into power lines when distracted by something on the ground.

"Pidove, use Sand-Attack." The little grey and black bird flaps his tiny wings rapidly, kicking up grit and dust from the ground and aiming at the small zebra's face. It's not a very nice tactic, but it's a rather useful one to keep your enemy off their guard. No one can see with something in their eyes, after all.

She'd covered her eyes with one hand to block the dust from getting in her own eyes, looking determined as she peered from between her fingers at me. "Amalthea, let's go with Shock Wave!" The little filly tossed her head, letting loose a bray-like neigh into the air as electricity coursed through her body, centering in her front hooves. She reared up and landed harm, stomping the ground and sending forth a wave of blue electric energy right at the pidgeon.

I recalled him after he finished making a pained cry. I don't like seeing my friends hurt like this, not one bit. Touko also recalls her Pokemon, though, not before I get a chance to hear the happy sound of her voice.  _She's proud of me, I did well today._ Touko and I stare each other down. I'm at a bit of an unfair advantage here, as I know what she had as of two days ago while she has no idea who I have on my team.

"...on three?" She asks finally, clearly not wanting to have either one of us at a disadvantage by going first so the other could change their mind. I nod to her, giving her another smile that she shyly returns before we toss the balls into the air and summon forth our respective friends.

"Timburr!"

"Minnie!"

I blinked at the small pink pokemon with red eyes and small purple flowers hovering above the ground. It's... ridiculous looking, but rather adorable. "Looks like you have a new addition to your team," I comment lightly as I observe the two Pokemon carefully. I don't want them automatically going after one another before the battle begins, but it looks like they're only sizing each other up and awaiting our commands. Timburr has this annoying habit of flipping his wooden plank from one arm to the other and back again. I wonder if he does it because he's nervous and is trying to distract himself like I do when I play with the menger sponge on my belt chain.

I listen closely to this one's voice, as it seems really shy and quiet; the kind of Pokemon easily frightened and discouraged.  _...harder. Must work harder. Can't make Bel sad anymore._  The young Pokemon was mumbling about men and women in chainmail outfits who were mean to it. My eyes narrow at the description. "is she even yours?" I ask, knowing sometimes a Trainer will babysit or even train another's Pokemon in exchange for someone else watching their own.

I need more information, I wonder if she'd let me see the Munna a little longer, so I could ask her a few questions about the figures she was talking about. The ones who made her hurt and the ones that scared and upset this Bel girl.

Touko shakes her head, ponytail swishing back and forth with the movement. "No," Her voice is oddly cool, like she's no longer excited about our battle anymore. I don't like that. She should be happy,  _honored_  to be battling me- even if she doesn't know who I am yet. "She belongs to Bel, I helped save her from Team Plasma though, so she trusts me a little bit too."

Just as I thought; I'm going to be kicking some asses tonight. I just need a better description of the members in question so I don't punish the wrong ones.

"Saved her? I thought Team Plasma was for equality between humans and Pokemon? Surely they wouldn't hurt the ones they're trying to save, right?" I just... need her to confirm it. I need to see the truth in her eyes and hear it in her voice. While we're at it, I need to wrap this battle up so I can go take care of my business and remind those lowly soldiers just who and what they're fighting for. "Timburr, brace yourself; use Bide!"

The rough and tumble Pokemon positioned himself, looking intently at the dainty, pink pokemon in front of it, daring her to fire  _any_  kind of attack off at him. This was a risky move on my end, I'm not sure what moves the skittish little one had.

"Yeah. Two of 'em. About this tall," She gestures with her hand a handful of inches above her head for a moment and then dropping it a little to show the second member's height. About six foot two and five feet, eleven inches. "One was kinda stocky, moved slower and more like a bear. The other had kinda beady eyes and cheeks like a Patrat." Her eyes harden at the memory of whatever it was that my men had done to the Pokemon out on the battlefield. "You'd think that, they say they do... but I can't trust people who'd kick something so cute hard enough to make it cry,"

She must be joking. There's no way I'd allow  _those_  kind of people into my employment. But she's not lying, and that's what both angers me and hurts to hear. I helped someone hurt a Pokemon... and there could be others doing it when I'm not around.

I didn't catch the rest of what she said, but Munna's move to be was apparently called out. Cursing myself for my distraction, I watch as colorful waves crash into Timburr, sending him skidding back before wobbling and crashing to the ground. A one shot knock out, I'm definitely impressed. For something so cute and fragile looking, she certainly has a powerful attack at her disposal. I smile at the victor of the battle, listening to the sound of her babbling to herself as she repeats that she's won for the first time that she remembers. "Good work, Minnie, I believe it was." I tell her. "Bel, I think you said, will be very happy to hear about your big win today."

When I look to Touko, preparing to use the last of my friends I'd gathered from around the area, my stomach does an unexpected flip. It's the first time I've ever seen her smile at me. Not anyone else, not at the Pokemon so I just indirectly see it, but aimed and directed specifically at  _me_. My mouth suddenly dries up and I'm struck speechless for a moment, feeling incredibly stupid by something so, so... ordinary.

Maybe  _this_ was what that poor waitress was experiencing when I smiled at her; she must have never had anyone smile for her and her alone before.

It's... nice. I like it. I want her to smile at me more like that. Maybe I wouldn't have such a problem with humans if they were all like her and could smile so nicely and genuinely. If she does this for her Pokemon too, it's no wonder they want to be friends with her so fast and wind up so attached.

"Tympole, let's go." I manage to send out my last friend, watching him flop around on the ground was kind of painful and it apparently showed on my face.

Touko speaks up. "He needs a puddle or  _something_ ," she says to me with a frown and a shake of her head. "Let's move the battlefield to somewhere he's not hurting himself by just flopping everywhere. Pavement on thin skin has  _gotta_  hurt."

The girl is impressing me more and more. I like this and kind of fear it at the same time. If we're destined to be mortal enemies for some reason, I think I'll be sad about it. I nod, giving her a small, gratitude filled smile in response as I recall the flopping tadpole. "Thank you," I tell her, feeling the overwhelming need to tell her that. "I was thinking about asking you if you would mind doing just that, I'm glad you thought of it too."

She looks over her shoulder at me, the afternoon sun hitting her in a way that almost surrounds her with an aura of pure, clean light as she gives me another smile, this one more puzzled than anything else. "Well,  _yeah_ ," Touko says, as if amused by being on the receiving end of things for once. I have the feeling she says thank you a lot, she seems like that kind of person. "Why wouldn't I?"

I don't know how to respond to that, tugging my hat down a little over my eyes as she turns back and starts heading for the outskirts of town. She'll be heading for where she probably things I found the little guy. I let her gain a little distance ahead of me, I need the time to recollect myself, to stop the painful beating of my heart as the three little words repeat themselves over and over in my head like a dizzying mantra.

_Why wouldn't I?_

"Why... wouldn't you?" I ask, so quietly she's not even able to hear me as she pokes her head around a bunch of brush and cattails to see if I was still following her. She gives me another brief smile before disappearing around the bush to keep heading deeper into the foresty marshlands. She's given me another damn question I can't answer.

I'm getting tired of those kinds of questions popping up; it's going to stop even if it means I have to use the full force of Team Plasma at my disposal to be rid of the sources of the damn things. Even if she is a good person, kind to Pokemon and people alike even with her bizarre temper, even if she  _is_ highly talented and gifted, and could probably learn how to listen to the voice of a Pokemon and could be destined for great things...

She's becoming a threat; and I cannot allow a threat to run free.


	6. An Unfortunate Slight

Threat established, I immediately start looking for what I need to know to eliminate her. Defenses, weaknesses, openings; anything I could possibly imagine that may be useful in getting rid of her once and for all. She's remarkably defenseless, part of me is relieved; it means the task won't be difficult in the least when I give the order for her to be 'removed'.

The rest of me feels sick at the thought of the life within her eyes emptied.

I don't have time for this bullshit; I am a man destined for greatness, to be the ruler of this world and separate it so no one will be hurt ever again. Pretty eyes or not, she has the power to distract me with her similarities to my own personality; and I can't let that continue happening. My father was right; human beings are evil without even knowing they are; they cause pain wherever they go, and she'll cause it too, in time.

"Here looks like a good place," Her voice is cheerful, a distinctive opposite to the dark point my thoughts are in right now, and she's playfully chasing a pair of curious tadpoles in a respectably sized puddle with a long piece of grass. For a minute, I just do nothing but watch her chase the innocent, admittedly kind of gross little frog spawn and then hold the blade of grass still. "Ooo, they're attacking it!" She exclaims, looking delighted.

It's the same useless, time wasting kind of thing I would do by myself.

"What are you doing?" I finally ask, trying to sound disbelieving and like an adult would when catching someone younger than they were doing something ridiculous. I know perfectly well what she's doing and watch as a particularly daring little fella tries attacking the blade of grass before swimming away. She lets the blade of grass go, sucking in a mouthful of air before blowing gently on the surface of the water, letting it send the grass further away from the edge.

"Playin' with tadpoles." Touko replies with a bite to her voice that I suspect she only uses when she's being talked down to. Fair enough, it wasn't that nice of me to speak that way to begin with, especially since I don't think she's as young as I initially thought. She rises from her knees effortlessly, brushing at invisible specks of dirt and grass from her legs before giving me that same unreadable look I'd gotten the first time we met. "But you're right, I don't have time for that. We need to finish this battle."

It's almost like magic, the way she goes from so... so damn cheerful, full of light and joy like a child to an adult, someone with an unimaginable, untapped well of strength and willpower.

Carefree child to responsible Queen.

My smile is the fakest one I've ever given. She's suddenly lacking in weaknesses and openings, it's an incredible change in such a short amount of time. "Let's go, Amalthea!" Touko throws the ball into the air, red light shooting to the ground as the small black and white zebra reared high into the air, bugling a challenge into the air.

Perhaps I've upset her more than I'd originally thought, I already see where this battle is going to go- and it isn't in  _my_  favor. "Come out, my friend. I know you'll make me proud." I tell the little tadpole Pokemon. I suppose someone more intelligent than I am would forfeit the battle. Either I'm too full of pride to know when to give up, or there's something about being in battle with  _her_  that makes me too angry to just walk away.

I don't understand why I'm angry

. I've run into others who have been stronger than she is, older and younger than she is. Others who have just... needed to be crushed beneath my heel so they knew the taste of the same ground they ran their Pokemon, _my_  friends, into. Maybe... just maybe, the reason I am angry is because I know she will not be crushed beneath my heel. If I tried, she would only push herself to force my foot off of her and glare at me defiantly with those eyes of hers.

I consider this.

Yes, I think it's her defiance that displeases me. I am a man used to being obeyed without question, after all, by human and Pokemon alike. She is an unexpected development, and, like Purrloin says, she's an equation, a  _formula_  that I have never run into before. Each time I was given one as a child, they often had the same effect on me, now that I think of it. If I didn't immediately understand it, I grew angry, frustrated at being made a fool of and often reacted poorly. I would yell and throw the book across the room, always,  _always_  careful not to throw it near any of my friends so they wouldn't get scared.

"Supersonic," I instructed him, pointing at the determined looking Pokemon and her defiant owner. Leaping up with a splash from his puddle, Tympole filled the air with a noise so shrill it made the teeth ache. I saw the flash of alarm in Touko's face as she shouts for Amalthea to dodge it. She doesn't like status effects, I realize. I wonder why it makes her so nervous?

"Fine, if  _that's_  the way you wanna play," Touko snaps, looking like she were the one with only one Pokemon left and on the edge of a cliff. Hm, this might be worth looking into as a weakness to exploit. "Shake it off, 'malthea, and retaliate with Thunderwave!"

Tympole really has nowhere to go, but he's tried his best to avoid the weak waves of electricity that strike him head on. Static crackles around his body as he lets out a weak, scared sound that cuts me deeper than any blade could. I hate that sound. My fists clench at my sides as a result, eyes narrowing as I prepare to end this battle quickly, that way I can heal him and be on my way.

There's an accusatory look lingering in her eyes as she waits for my next move. I don't understand that, what have  _I_  done wrong?

"...finish this, I'm done. Shockwave, now!" She orders, I refuse to watch as the sharp, crackling burst of electricity hits, frying his skin and knocking him unconscious, small body still twitching.

"I cannot see the future yet," I murmur in frustration. I thought... maybe through her, I could see something. Heroes often received an epiphany during battle with another who could be their potential equal. ...perhaps she isn't at that level to be  _my_  equal yet, or she may not have the potential. I may be wasting my time worrying about some girl with pretty eyes and a stronger personality than I'm used to handling. "The world is yet to be determined, and right now, my friends aren't strong enough to save all Pokemon."

"They'll never get stronger if you just turn 'em loose and keep going for whatever's in the area, you know." She says finally, walking over to me after recalling her own Pokemon and kneeling down in the puddle next to the unconscious Tympole. I watch her rummage through her bag, looking for something that makes her curse under her breath before she finds it near the bottom. How much stuff can a girl carry in such a simple looking bag?

Apparently a lot, by the looks of it. How does she fit it all in there? ...what does she have in there?

"Here we go," She looks relieved at whatever it is, I can't make out exactly what the little star shaped cluster is, but she gently taps the corner of it against the aquatic Pokemon's mouth, causing it to open probably on reflex and slips it in. There's a bright flash of light followed by a weakened, sad sounding chirp-croak as button-black eyes open and immediately land on me. "hey, hey now," I watch her scold the still weakened Pokemon. "none of that loser-talk."

...did she actually understand what he was saying, just now?

 _Sorry. I'm sorry._  He says again, his voice is sad enough to make my heart break. Touko's hands dip into the water, coming up slightly muddied as she reaches out and gives the little guy a gentle pat and caress atop his head. He's very surprised by this, and I tense, preparing to shove her out of the way if he gets too scared and attacks her out of self-defense. She seems like the tough sort, but I don't need her experiencing what  _that's_  like.

"You fought hard, didn't you? Be proud of what you've accomplished." She tells him. "If you're sad all the time, you'll always lose to someone else. You're really tough, no one else was able to make Amalthea hurt herself twice before she managed that Thunderwave, that's amazing!"

can't tell if she's lying or if she's actually telling the truth, but it seems to be working. He doesn't look as defeated and sad anymore.  _I did good?_  Tympole looks at me, wanting me to validate, to agree with what this stranger who hurt  _him_  was saying.

Oh, what the hell, a little water and mud never hurt anyone other than a ground or rock type Pokemon, I think to myself as I give a slight chuckle of defeat myself and imitate what she's done. I wonder how she knew to wet her hands before touching him? "Yes," I tell him as his eyes light up with hope and shine brightly with happiness. "you did very good. I'm proud of you."

The sound he makes startles us both as he begins splashing around happily, rolling from one side to the other with the long tail of his slapping the surface of the water and spraying us both with a combination of water and mud. We look at each other and, despite the tension between us, both start laughing. There's nothing else you can do in that situation; you just have to laugh.

And it feels good to laugh; to hear another's laugh join in with yours as well.

"Maybe I  _can't_  solve it," I find myself saying to her less than a half an hour later. We'd decided to take him back to the little pond I'd found him in, and between the two of us, our Pokemon were fully healed. Snivy refused to leave her side until Purrloin finally convinced him that I was not going to hurt his trainer.

...not today, that is. But neither of them need to know that.

Touko turns away from watching Minnie, that friend of hers' Munna, and Tympole solemnly examining whatever they'd found underneath a partially submerged log they'd lifted up with a Psywave and Bubblebeam combination. "Solve what, exactly?" There's a wary note in her voice as her fingers begin toying nervously with the grass.

Something wild in me rears its head, a fearsome face I don't want to look at, a feeling that there's a part of me I don't  _want_  to know about rising up within me that I have to stomp down. There was an impulsive thought to reach out, to grab her by the arm and pull her close enough to me that I could see her eyes up close.

Close enough that I could see her exact reaction when I ask her if I make her nervous, if I  _scare_  her.

I've never had that idea before.

...I'm afraid of the part of me who even thought of it.

My hand seeks and immediately finds the void cube on my chain. I fiddle with it, moving it around and putting it back to rights again as I try to calm myself down. If I get upset, it'll ruin everything, and if I ruin everything by blurting things out I don't need to, I'll jeopardize  _everything_  my father has worked so hard for. "The equation that will change the world," I finally say, trying to simplify it enough so that she doesn't somehow connect  _me_ with Team Plasma yet. I'm not ready to tell her who I am, as it sounds like she has a very low opinion of them so far. Much like those  _idiots_  who called themselves Team Galactic and Team Rocket. "So... I think, no, I  _need_  power. ...power enough to make anyone agree with me."

I refuse to look at her, but I can sense how she's stiffened up, everything in her tensed and ready to fight or flee. Humans and Pokemon have very similar reactions when it comes to potential threats, I notice and make note of this. That part of me stirs again, lifting its shadowed head and I imagine there are terrifying eyes,  _red_  eyes that glow with... with  _something_ , something I can't even begin to name.

But that part I don't want to acknowledge is  _happy_  that she's beginning to realize I may very well be a threat to her.

I look up, seeing a rain swollen cloud and swallow hard, determination settling back in as my nerves ease. This is an easier topic to speak of. "I know now, what power I need." I say as I watch the clouds go past. "Zekrom, the legendary Pokemon that, along with the Hero, created the Unova region." It's time for me to go, I'm already late to my meeting with a couple of my men. And I know one of the Shadow Trio is watching me from somewhere to my left. I'll have to take him, or her, aside later and ask we not mention this little side trip.

I stand up and brush myself off, offering a smile to try and disarm her defenses. "Things aren't looking good in the world right now," I tell her. "I know you can see it too, it's on the news... and it's really everywhere you look. Things  _need_  to change." My smile widens, I'm definitely in a better mood now that I'm talking about  _my_  destiny in life. It's an incredible one, you know.

She's uncertain now, I can see it in her eyes. Perhaps I've made my point now, perhaps  _now_  she'll think twice before defying me and trying to be more of a threat than she's proven herself already.

"The last time, it was the Hero who brought about that change and made the world peaceful, and almost perfect back then." I look up to the sky, giddy again as I can practically  _feel_  the smooth, perfect skin of the legendary Pokemon- I hear it's a dragon, according to ancient texts- beneath my hand as I raise it to the sky above me. "And it's my turn to become that hero- and you and I will be friends, Zekrom!"

This time it's a reassuring smile, now that I've calmed down and everything is back into perspective, back under  _my_  control. "I've stayed a lot longer than I meant to, and I've kept you from your battle with the Gym Leader here." There's an apologetic note in my voice as I politely tip my head and perform a half-bow, as only proper for a gentleman. "Good luck in your match, maybe we'll see each other again sometime."

She watches me leave, I feel her eyes on me as I walk away and head for the entrance of Pinwheel Forest. I must have made a cool figure, just walking away like that. That's what a hero was supposed to do, after all. They were supposed to look cool and amazing and impressive, even when they walked away from a simple conversation.

"Are the plans in place?" I ask as one of the trio drops in silently at my side.

"Yes, my lord N." Formality is refreshing, I'm not used to being around people who just treat you the same as everyone else. "We are waiting for the perfect opportunity to shake the area up a little. Stealing that fossil the overconfident Gym Leader brags about should be enough."

I nod slightly, thinking about the layout of the area and the quickest way in and out without any potential harm done to humans or Pokemon who may be in the museum part of the building I hate so much. Touko will be out of there before this heist is pulled off, I think to myself, so there should be no trouble with anyone strong enough to interfere.

That is, if my men don't screw it up.

"Very well," I respond as I head for the collection of grunts that are milling about the forest. "...did you find the men or women that girl was talking about earlier?" I shoot a look over at the man- this one definitely was male- following a step behind me. The look startles him, good, I want him to know that I'm aware when they're around and nothing they do while they're watching  _me_  will escape  _my_  watchful eye. "You may as well abandon any pretenses; I know you were there and heard everything said, did you find them?"

He bows his head in my direction, a sign of definite surrender and submission. "Yes, milord. They were assigned here, in the forest after the mission failure at the factory." I can sense his curiosity, his hesitation in having to tell me that. Good, he and the rest of the Shadow Trio  _know_  what tends to put me in a foul mood; and nothing does that faster than a Pokemon Abuser.

Perhaps... I'm not so afraid of that other side of me. Not right now, at least, as I can feel a familiar heat begin to rise in my veins and that funny feeling in my stomach and heart lift its head and open its eyes, as funny as that sounds even to my own thoughts.

I smile, and I can see the visible shock and feel the immediate change in the man's aura next to me. Fear. He is afraid, for no good reason, I am sure. He isn't my target.

"Good," I say softly as I slip into a side path, one barely visible due to the overgrowth and ignore the cute little Swaddle that blinks up at me sleepily from where I nearly stepped on him. "Bring them both to the clearing I am to meet my father and one of the Sages in." I pause. "On second thought, bring all of the grunts gathered here."

There's further surprise. "...my lord?" It's a question, an uneasy one. I glance over my shoulder as a warm weight drops down to my other one. There's a smile on both of our faces as I nod to the black clad figure, reaching up and scratching a pair of dark, triangular ears before speaking. "Two of their rank have disgraced the entire lot of them," I inform my guard. "I believe it's time to...  _remind_  them what the consequences of acting like our hated enemies are once again." I turn my back on him, I don't need to see his shadowed face or his body to know that he's more than a little worried, scared perhaps, for the two men who are going to regret what they've done and what they put that Munna through.

_...can't trust people who could kick something so cute hard enough to make it cry._

I hear that phrase said again and again, circling around my head like a nightmarish mantra, an endless chattering that no one else could hear. "...neither can I," I murmur softly as I make my way through the forest. As anticipated, the grunts have been assembled with those two standing in front of everyone with very,  _very_  nervous looks on their faces.

_... people who can kick it so hard it cries._

"Neither can I."


	7. A Moment

Justice has been delivered, and I am worn out.

I listen to the blathering of the Sage who has come by to assure the successful theft of a Dragon Skull with my eyes closed, allowing him to think my guard is completely down and I am asleep, thus not paying any attention to how he wants things done. He's quite wrong, but I'm okay with people believing I am nothing, if not ignorant, when it comes to the ways of the world. My father is one of those seven Sages, and he is the one who encouraged me to allow people to delude themselves if it means success for Team Plasma.

Better the enemy you know than the one you don't, as he says.

I have a lot on my mind anyways, so the self-inflated ego of the older man my father chose is not a concern of mine, especially since he was more than happy to approve the punishment and disposal of the two who violated their contract. I like the way he says things, I took mental notes in the off chance that this happens again. Again, I turn the events over in my mind, the looks of shock, of anger and guilt on their faces as we stood there and placed them in front of a trial before their peers.

Six more of them have received a lighter punishment for not coming forward with information, though they did not participate in the action. All six have reassured me with no small amount of apology that it will not happen again and that they will report to me directly if they see any Plasma member acting in a disgraceful manner.

It's too bad the two I had to get rid of showed no remorse for their actions; I might have been easier on them had they been genuinely sorry for what they'd done.

_You have voided your contract and, as a result, forfeit the protection Lord N has bestowed upon you._

I like the way that was worded, I am going to hold on to that for future use. It sounds like something a King or a Hero would say, and who am I, if not both? Movement and a heavy weight on my chest stirs me from my near slumber, or meditation, I'm not sure which at this point. I open my eyes a little to see an intense aqua gaze from my chest and smile.

My oldest friend.

My hand automatically reaches up and sinks into to the charcoal grey and crimson fur, his eyelids lowering as he allows me to scratch his ears and chin before playfully grabbing my hand in his jaws. Little savage, I think to myself with a fond smile at him. He was rebellious in ways I couldn't afford to be, and his antics always entertained me. "You're getting old," I tell him softly, noticing a couple white hairs here and there on his muzzle. "shouldn't you shed that baby look for your adult one by now?" I know some Pokemon don't like evolving, but he's never given me that impression.

Quite the opposite, actually.

 _Not time yet, soon._  He pauses a moment in his response, giving me the equivalent of a shrug.  _Maybe soon, anyway._  That's the thing I like the most about Zorua; he's always able to give  _me_  a straight answer, whereas he'd rather play tricks and give an elusive response with everyone else. Aqua eyes narrow slightly as he tugs my hand down, releases it from his jaws and looks at it carefully, doing the same thing to my other hand before looking back at me.  _Does it hurt? Should I get an Oran Berry for you?_

Another reason I love him... and I think it's okay to use that word. It's not a familiar one, feels foreign to use even towards him. He is always concerned about my well being, and if something is wrong, tries in his own way to fix it. "I'm fine," I tell him softly, now that the Sage and the three foot soldiers are out of my room and leaving me in peace. "I didn't break the skin this time," a pause, because I know he wants the truth the same way I always do. "besides, I was only allowed to deliver the first blow to each of them."

A snort-like growl was the response to my answer, his version of a short laugh, I suppose.  _Only the first blow, yeah right. Did you go for the knee like usual or did you attack the face?_ He asks.

I didn't mention this, but he  _is_  rather vicious when it comes to human kind. I don't blame him, mostly because humans weren't kind to him or his mother. I won't go into his past, but suffice to say, he is one of the reasons I believe humans and Pokemon need a separate world. He never would have lost his mother if that had been the case.

I'm quiet for a few minutes as I ponder how to answer that question. I don't want him to think I have the ability to be cruel to him or any of my other friends. If a human is mean to another human, chances are they'll usually treat their Pokemon the same way, if not even worse... and I don't want them to mistake me for one of  _those_  people. "...the knee for one of them, the other tried to fight back." I finally tell him, watching as his fur bristled and stood on end, tiny but sharp white fangs glittering.

 _Fought back? He raised his hand against you? Where is he? I'm gonna-_  I cut him off before he could get into specifics. Like I said; he's my oldest, dearest friend. And, well, it makes him very protective at times. "I'm  _fine_ , Zorua." I place a heavy emphasis on the word "fine", hopefully he'll understand that I wasn't hurt at all. Surprised in a way, maybe even a bit impressed, but not hurt. The Shadow Trio did their job in teaching me what to do if I didn't have any of them around.

What no one else knows? My friends teach me things too. It sounds funny, but there's a lot of useful skills that one could learn if they just bothered to listen for a little while.

"Besides, you and the others taught me what to do in case someone tries anything like that, remember?" I remind him in hopes the flattery will appeal to him and soothe his worries. For a few moments, I wonder if it's going to work before he grumbles to himself and puts his muzzle beneath my chin, nuzzling me for a moment or two before lying down completely on my chest.

Just like always, I think to myself and reach up to continue stroking his thick, soft coat in the way I know he finds comforting.  _True, we did teach you. Even if you_ are _nicer than you should be._  He remarks grumpily with a sigh that tickles my neck. Not many would allow a formerly abused Pokemon, especially one with fangs as needle sharp as his, to be so close to a vulnerable, fragile place like the human throat.

I'm not worried. He won't hurt me the same way he knows I won't hurt him.

 _...N?_  Zorua asks suddenly, surprisingly me once again out of a light doze.

"Hm?" I make a vaguely inquiring sound, hoping he just has a simple yes or no question and will be satisfied with that much of an answer. I'm really tired after everything that happened today and I want to take a nap, or just actually sleep. I've done precious little of that and if I keep it up, I'll wind up acting erratic and unable to hold myself to the proper standards that the King of Heroes should hold himself to. I've almost drifted off again when his question is finally asked.

_Who is that girl the grunts are talking about?_


	8. Fret

I am an idiot.

Zorua is holding on tightly, refusing to let go as we run wildly through the forest and the wild Pokemon around us, though surprised, are calling out directions to me so that I don't fall. They're not as nice to the member of the Shadow Trio behind me but, that's okay. He can take care of himself, he doesn't need my friends' help.

"My lord, should you really be doing this?" He asks as he swings into place beside me and manages to keep pace by imitating my movements and footsteps as closely as possible. What can I say? The man knows what he's doing, and he's the one I like best out of the three of them. I mean, he's  _still_ a human and all, but for a human, he's not a bad person. A bit strange, but not bad. "Your father isn't going to be happy."

He has a point, I know he does but... I can't bring myself to care at the moment. All it took was listening in on some of the exchanges between the three grunts sent out to steal the Dragon's Head and a couple expletives followed by a too familiar voice and I knew I needed to go. Especially when one of the ones she defeated said 'the brat' was headed for the part of the forest we'd dumped off the unconscious men from earlier.

Touko, I think to myself, you are getting in way over your head. I hope she's not going to continue getting in Team Plasma's way, even if she did help us weed some of the less faithful and true members out of our ranks. I'll have to get rid of her if she keeps it up, and that... that doesn't sit well with me. Not when I haven't had a good chance to see if I can dispel the threat she poses to my, no,  _our_  plans.

In an ideal world, I will be able to convert her to my side, and she would be perfect as a spokeswoman, as a high ranking member of Team Plasma and help us genuinely release the Pokemon back into the wild. She's kind to hers, and they love her, and wild Pokemon seem fond of her... or at least less threatened by her than they are to other humans. "He doesn't need to know." I say firmly in response to the comment about my father. And it was true; I am a King; and my decisions are my own to make. He and the others are my advisers, nothing more.

 _You're worried about a_ human _?_  Zorua asks me in disbelief, curiosity tinged with worry in his voice as my eyes sweep the area, my ears straining for the sound of her voice or for that of any Pokemon who have seen her. "It's complicated," I mutter to my friend. "Purrloin chose her."

That shut him up for a few minutes, and I can see him absorbing and weighing that information in that furry little head of his. He and Purrloin came from somewhat similar backgrounds and had bonded a little during the short time the three of us had together. He was almost the only reason Purrloin had _given_  me a chance to begin with. "Search and report back to me if you find her," I instruct my guard as I divert from the course we'd set, heading further into the forest myself. "do  _not_  engage Touko, I need this matter handled delicately."

And by 'delicately', I mean, 'I don't want my father  _or_  any of the Sages noticing her more than they have already.

After all, besides being the ridiculous attention whoring idiots they were, the overconfident incompetence of Team Rocket, Team Magma, Team Aqua, and Team Galactic led to their downfall at the hands of mere... children.

Team Rocket, especially. Not only were they defeated at the hands of an eleven year old boy, but two years or so later, they were taken out again by a pair of them- one being the son of the former leader at that.

All of them wound up buckling, demolished by children thirteen years old or younger; Touko is most certainly  _not_  thirteen. Far from it, she's about sixteen or seventeen... but the point still stands. She's younger than the rest of us, and with how organizations have fallen in that other country? I don't care to have the Sages get it into their heads that she's the one who will bring about our downfall.

At least, not until I am more than a hundred percent sure that she will not join my cause.

"Yes sir," A quick salute and the man is suddenly gone like he never existed to begin with. A frightening ability for most when they think about it. I merely envy the Shadow Trio's ability, and suspect the three of them are related in some way. Must be a special family ability, there are rumors of a lot of those, or so I've seen when I've gotten bored and looked to see if anyone else can do what I can.

So far, the answer is 'not really'.

 _She should be fine if Purrloin is with her._  Zorua tries to make me feel a little bit better, but it's one of those things I just... can't calm down about. I saw the end result after the initial blows were traded; I don't want her seeing that. She doesn't need to see  _that_  side of Team Plasma's leader.

I just hope I can find her before she finds herself in anymore trouble.


	9. No Mercy

I am going to  _kill_  that stupid henchman.

My fists clench tightly at my sides and the near-silent rumble deep in Zorua's chest echoes my sentiments exactly. It takes everything I have not to go out there, ruining everything, and just smite him where he stands.  _No one_  talks to a lady like that; he should know better. Part of me wants to have Zorua attack the two Gym Leaders, startling them long enough so they allow her access to that embarrassment to Team Plasma long enough for me to see what those clenched fists of hers, and that promise in her eyes, are capable of.

What's worse? He has one of the Sages with him; there is no way this'll fly under my father's extensive radar.

 _She has a temper like we do,_  Zorua says approvingly, his aqua eyes never leaving her form as she shoots back some caustic response that has my underling's face turning nearly the same shade as the mandatory wig I have all my members wear. His ears are perked up and he's rather focused in his observation. I wonder for a moment, temporarily drawn away from my anger, if he is going to come to the same conclusion that my other friend did.  _But it doesn't mean I like her or anything, she's a_ human _, after all._

As am I, I look at him with a raised eyebrow, communicating my thought silently. He blinks, taking his attention away and gives me the same look he always does when he thinks I'm being stupid and annoying.  _Don't give me that look, N. You're just one of us stuck permanently in a human body. Kinda like how I got stuck imitating you once when you were little, remember?_

I smile at that memory. It was a fond one, one of the few in a troubled time in my life. Confused the daylights out of everyone too, no one knew which one of us was fake and the other was real until they tried to make us speak. Fun times, ones I wish could have lasted longer than they had.

I'm drawn out of what could have put me in a more forgiving mood by the sound of that annoying voice proudly proclaiming what would happen to anyone who would thwart my plans. Those foolish Gym Leaders are clueless, I'm not surprised or concerned about the likes of  _them_ , but the look on Touko's face is more than enough for me, even without the suddenly whispered report in my ears from the Shadow Trio member I'd sent out earlier.

She saw them.

 _Want me to take care of him? No one'll ever know._  Zorua offers, eyes intent on the scene in front of him. Funny thing about his particular species; their illusions are terrifyingly realistic- and solid. They fool the senses into thinking it's reality. In a lot of ways, Zorua and his evolution, Zoroark, are  _worse_ than any psychic type out there; at least you can get an idea of a psychic messing with your head.

But this little dark type was nothing short of terrifying with his potential, especially if he put enough effort into it to actually kill someone.

"No," I murmur harshly. No one is going to kill anyone unless I give the order to. "No need." I might be taking care of this myself. Three in less than twenty four hours; I'm going to start screening these people personally instead of allowing my father to handle the recruitment at this rate. My guard drops behind the two members of Team Plasma in a flash, a hand on each of their shoulders and teleports them away before either Gym Leader has a chance to try capturing them.

I remain in the trees, watching the interaction between Lenora, Burgh and Touko carefully. I can see their influence beginning to work its poisoned magic on her. I'm going to have to step things up on my end if I don't want her... well, if I don't want her on the other side of the battlefield instead of on  _my_ side of it. We'll just leave it at that. Stupid Gym Leaders, you get famous for being good at abusing Pokemon and hurting them, and what, people suddenly aspire to be just like you. Ridiculous.

I slip away as Burgh casually departs the group and starts heading right in the direction I'm guessing Touko had come from. He's already released one of his bugs, and I can hear it working hard already as it follows the girl's scent back the way she'd come. I know where he's headed, and I've decided it's time for me to have a little...  _chat_  with this one; especially since that nosy boyfriend of his keeps eying  _my_  group like we're scum along the lines of Team Galactic.

I'll get him when he's alone; there's no reason for me to rush.

I can be a very,  _very_  patient man when I want to be, and this is one of those times. Besides, it gives me more of a chance to... choose, what I want to say and how I want to say it. After all, diplomacy is a rather delicate matter, not like most formulas in math. ...though, if we're talking chemistry formulas... well, maybe there's a reason why I leave  _that_  kind of work to the scientists. "I wonder if they've managed to detoxify that room yet?" I muse aloud to myself as Zorua and I travel through a faster way to where the two unconscious, perhaps even dead by now, men were deposited after the full extent of their punishment was delivered.

 _I don't think so. Anthea still doesn't let people or Pokemon go in there._ He replies after a moment with a snort of laughter.  _I almost tricked a grunt into going in there though, just so I could see what happens._  His voice is disappointed sounding, but still carefree nonetheless. That's something that also kind of worries me about my friend; he's kind of... whimsical, I guess. He does whatever seems like fun or a good idea at the time without thinking about the reprocussions.

Then again, I kinda envy that, he's not the leader of a group and unable to afford to make mistakes like me.

"Concordia's doing well too?" I ask, unable to help myself. The two women have been there since I was very small and, aside from my father, are the only two other humans I was really given contact with. They were young too, now that I think about it, when I first met them. I never have asked how old they are, it was implied a long time ago that it's not polite or very heroic or king-like to ask a lady her age. Still makes me curious though, and I'm sure they'd tell me if I asked.

In my own way, I guess I'm fond of the both of them.

Lately, Concordia's looked troubled and it bothers me. Anthea might know why, but if it's ongoing, maybe it's something outside her ability to heal. Then again, she  _did_  heal all of my injuries when I was a kid and always falling out of trees or getting hurt when the friends I was playing with kind of forgot I wasn't as tough as they were.

 _She's the same as always,_  Zorua replies after a moment, thinking about the last time he'd seen the two women who'd been around since he'd come into my life.  _I don't think she's sleeping very much though, and I think Anthea's worrying about that too._

"So it's not something Anthea's able to fix?" I don't like the sound of that, it's actually worrying. Anthea can heal  _anything_ , almost. Pokemon or human; she can do it all. She could probably even heal flowers and trees if she wanted to. I frown as I think about that, my hand reaching up for a branch as I begin to climb. I'm at my destination now, and I want a good vantage point for when that stupid man comes into the area and sees what happens when you really piss me off.

Then again, looking back on it, I don't think I was the only one pissed off about their treatment of Pokemon, several of the grunts actually volunteered to help with the punishment... and none too few of those blows dealt were harder than initially asked for either.

"...what kind of injury is it that even Anthea can't heal?" I muse quietly to Zorua as he squirms a bit, leaping from my arms to my shoulder again.

 _Dunno, but guess who's here?_  He asks me, a feral glitter in his large eyes as Burgh walks into the area, releasing two more Pokemon who lead him to the two men on the ground. I raise my eyebrow at the string of words he says and the hand that flies to his mouth. I'm going to remember a few of those, they sound like something only someone terrified out of their mind, or anger as hell, would say. He orders Leavanny to guide the others and start stablizing their injuries.

Hmph, I could almost respect the guy for doing his homework; Bug types are phenomenal caretakers, almost as good as the Audino are, actually. But people get squeamish with bugs, especially women, and it's sad really. There's a lot of potential there that goes wasted. And then we have to cull the population so it doesn't decimate and tip the natural balance with the flying types.

I'm going to be very glad when I make my new world. It's going to be a good one, nice and balanced like it should have been from the very beginning.

"Len's gonna be pissed about this," I hear him sing out to himself. Humans use a lot of humor in bad situations, this is becoming rather obvious to me the longer I observe them. Pokemon are kind of like that too, actually. They have an 'it could be worse' mentality a lot of the time, I like that a lot and try to use that as much as possible myself.

Listening to him talk to himself is kind of entertaining, but he's too damn insightful. It's going to be a problem in the future if he keeps getting into my business.

"I wonder how much she saw," My eyes narrow. He's spoken my exact thoughts on the matter. She saw  _something_ , that much was for sure from her reaction. "it couldn't have been the men themselves, she'd have been hysterical." I look down at the bloodied, swollen faces and arms and legs bent at odd, unnatural angles and consider that information. I don't think she's the hysterical type. Temperamental? Definitely, she has a temper underneath the calculating, friendly nature of hers. I think I know that better than anyone else by now.

_Saw something._

_Yes. Saw something._

_Not the humans though. Probably on the tree or leaves. Grass too._

Huh. I guess we did kind of leave a mess when I ordered them dragged away and disposed of in a place I wouldn't see them again. I'll be more careful next time, leave less evidence around where someone innocent won't find it.

"You think so too, huh guys?" I hear him ask with a weak, nervous sounding chuckle and shift my weight. Almost time, I think. He just needs to recall the poor Pokemon so they don't get involved and then he'll be mine for the taking.

"You know, spying isn't exactly the best of hobbies," He says and directs his attention towards my tree. I'm apparently discovered and nod to Zorua as he leaps on to the tree branch and then darts off to another tree all together. How he manages that, I'll never know. But oh well, as long as he's okay, that's alright with me. There's an odd shift I feel from the direction he's gone too, meaning he's probably used his Illusion ability to transform into me again. He's nearly perfected it by now too. "in fact, I'd put it right up there with eavesdropping."

I've had enough of his lecturing and we haven't even tried having a conversation yet.

I leap down from the tree branch, landing easily in a crouch and rise, walking out from behind him thanks to Zorua's little attention drawing trick of rustling the branches of another tree on the opposing side. I'm not in a friendly mood, the fact that he's a Gym Leader makes it worse. "It isn't spying when it comes to my men." I inform him coldly after a few moments, taking a moment to listen to the voice of his Whirlipede. Poor thing, it doesn't like the sight of blood any more than it likes the smell of his master's cigarettes. I gently caress the hard exoskeleton, hating to be impressed with the glossy sheen and rich color that signals a healthy, well cared for Pokemon of its type.

He's startled and, after a moment, Zorua's voice informs me, as well as the voices of the other Pokemon here, that he reeks of fear for a moment. Good. He  _should_  fear me; I'm everything he couldn't be and more.

I choose to ignore his simple minded question; of course these are my men, or at least, they  _used_  to be my men. Pretending to be polite isn't such a terrible thing, and I decide to give him the professional courtesy of introducing myself before ignoring him entirely and speaking with his pokemon. I'm genuinely curious; this is a demeaning task for them when the men are unworthy of such dedication.

Unfortunately, they take it in an entirely different context, and the next several minutes after I finish snapping at their stupid trainer are spent trying to soothe their fury and reassure them I hadn't meant anything  _that_  offensive in my questions. Zorua's speaking to them as well, though they don't like the idea of talking to someone who may have a sneak attack prepared. Neither Zorua or I can really blame them; it's something we  _would_  do in a heartbeat.

I send Burgh a look that immediately has him reaching for the pepper spray on his belt. Fool, as if they would allow  _me_  to be sprayed with that crap. The Shadow Triad member is lying in wait in another tree. He's flanked and doesn't even know it; my superiority in strategy is more than clear here, and I have nothing to worry about. This little battle I've started between he and I has come to its rightful conclusion with myself as the winner.

"This time, as a favor to  _him_ ," I gesture to his still livid Leavanny. "you are forgiven for helping those who would harm  _my_  friends." Bastards. I want to give them another solid kick in what was probably rib cage in poor shape. It apparently shows in my face, as the lanky Gym Leader shifts a little, his other two Pokemon acting as if they will step in to prevent me from doing so. Like I said; they're about as good at medicine and caretaking as the Audino.

But I make myself damn clear this time; he has it on record now. "I will have them put to death if they  _dare_  show their faces before me once more." I turn and study the white-faced Gym Leader carefully, sizing him up and figuring out just how much of a threat he is going to be in the long run. A big one; he's friends with at least Lenora of Nacrene, and between the two of them, probably have regular conversations with about three, maybe four more of the gym leaders in this region.

I'll send someone to keep an eye on his dealings and report back to me. I may need to start sabotaging his little side career and create a few distractions to keep him occupied and off my trail.

I smirk at the thought. "Advise the rest of  _your_  kind to stay out of my way as well," I nod towards the two unconscious forms. "or they may meet a similar fate." Trainers, police or gym leaders; I am not going to discriminate against  _anyone_  who tries standing in my way. I am a generous man, however, a generous and usually benevolent King; so I will show mercy all of  _once_  and allow the punishment to fit the crime. In his case, he is too damn nosy, so he will be allowed two warnings before action is taken.

I turn to leave, satisfied with what I have said. I'm two steps into my rather cool retreat when I hear Zorua's voice inquire about 'the girl' again as he quietly asks the Whirlipede what he thought, since he caught a faint trace of the girl's scent on the bug type.

...that's right.  _He's_  next on the badge list.

My job isn't done yet.

I move faster than he can expect, both hands fisted in that ugly shirt of his at the same time Zorua proceeds to make a proper pain out of himself and engages all three of his Pokemon in a fight, and I raise him up so that there is  _no_  mistake about which of us is superior to the other. "And one more thing," I tell him quietly, staring directly into his startled eyes as my voice drops into something more resembling a growl. I shake him once for good measure, making sure he is purely focused on  _me_  and what I'm saying.

Because I am only going to tell  _him_  this once; it'll be up to him to spread the word to other gym leaders if he gives half a damn about their cute little special society.

"Stay  _away_  from that girl; she is able to be purified from the taint  _you_  Gym Leaders and Professors enjoy spreading." I shove him back, releasing his shirt from my grasp and watch him stumble, nearly hitting the ground as a result of his knees trying to give way beneath him. Shock, fear and everything he damn well should have been feeling flickers through his eyes, he's confused mostly, I can see that much. "Pathetic." I scoff and turn, whistling sharply for Zorua as he bursts free and lands on my shoulder.

When it comes to them getting nosy and prying into Team Plasma, I will give them three warnings at most, I suppose. My hand gently scratches behind Zorua's ear, the little fox leaning into the caress and nips at my fingers in his own little mischievous way of saying 'thanks'. I am a very, very leniant man, I enjoy a relaxed atmosphere, a carefree one where I am happy with my friends. I am forgiving and kind to all but a select type of human being, I am willing to give second, maybe even third chances if I can be convinced of it.

But when it comes to  _that_  girl... that girl with eyes as pure, as untainted and eternal as the sky our two worlds will share... When it comes to that girl, there will only be _one_  warning, and one warning only given to those who would taint her, who would spoil her for those who genuinely have need and use of her talents and untapped potential.

Any who ignore that warning will rue that day; I will  _personally_  make sure of it.


	10. Whoops

Do all humans decide to waste so much time... or am I just impatient?

It feels like I've been waiting for her for a week now, and it's only been about thirty seven and a half hours since I gave a friendly warning to that damn gym leader. The Pokemon in the trees and grass are whispering, talking about the incident from before and about how she was a powerhouse, but kind of cool, when she battled. I have a feeling that she is going to run into a bit of a hold up when going through this forest again.

And as much as it annoys me, she's going to acquire more friends that she'll imprison without realizing how it makes them suffer. Hmph. I'll definitely educate her on that later on, see what she thinks about the idea. Then again, I remember she usually has at least one or two of her Pokemon out of the stupid capsules they're held in. I wonder how she chooses which two will keep her company? Does she sit there and take into account the type she'll run into? Is it because she wants to improve their relationship? Because they're the least likely to be injured or could be fast in terms of a sudden attack?

Why does one person inspire so many questions that aren't answerable?

The chatter suddenly builds intensity wise as the sudden call of 'she's back' rings through the forest and meets me back at my current observation point in a tree. Zorua's nearby, I know he's watching and waiting for her to show herself so he can probably play a trick on her- just to see how she reacts, of course. I've asked him, as a favor to me, not to do anything that will scare or hurt her. I think he wants to meet up with Purrloin again, they got along really well and he probably misses his friend.

I smile at the thought of seeing those two play together again.

It's a nice day outside, perfect for a picnic or just a day spent enjoying the sunshine like a Grass or a lot of Bug types would definitely suggest and approve of doing. Unusually warm for the time of year, but I'm not complaining. Warm weather is better than cold, in my opinion. Maybe, if things go as planned, I can convince her to enjoy the weather.

But if I just show up, it'll make her suspicious; and I don't want her questioning my motives at this point. It wouldn't be worth the trouble, and that's why I have to find a way to accidentally run into her or something so that way we can be mutually surprised to see one another. ...even if I'm not going to be surprised, as I'm going to set it all up perfectly.

 _You talk too much, N._  Zorua suddenly appears, looking more than just a little pleased with himself. I give him a wary look. The last time he had that expression on his face, I got yelled at and grounded for two weeks. "What did you do this time, Zorua?" I'm not going to play games with him, not when I've yet to discover a perfect plan that will get me what I want without room for error. It's harder than you'd think, actually; humans are consistent error makers in this universe; it's really annoying.

There's a growl from the tree beneath me, followed by a very familiar voice filled with so much disgusted resignment that I can't help but try and hold back a laugh.  _I should have known, you damn fox._ Purrloin's tail lashed the air as he regarded the two of us indignantly from the ground. One of his large ears flicked back, catching the sounds of something in the near distance.

"...you're joking." I say flatly, trying not to let the sudden jolt of panic I feel show on my face or enter in my voice. Crap; I'm going to be caught without a plan and without preparation,  _not_  how things were supposed to go. Zorua merely looks smug, busy tail wagging slightly as he sneers down at the none too happy feline staring daggers at him from the ground. I should have known that he'd go out of his way to antagonize Purrloin, it's how things  _always_ went back in the time when I'd tended to the Dark feline's injuries and saw to his recovery.

 _Told you, N. You think and talk too much these days, it's time for fun._  The fox informs me, as if I'm nothing more than an ignorant child instead of a grown man who knows what he's doing.

...most of the time, anyway.

If Purrloin starts in on me, I might actually make them battle to the point they both go to sleep from tiring themselves out. Or I'll have one of the lovely specimens in this forest use Sleep Powder on them. That's sounding more and more like a good idea as time goes on, and I'm about to start implementing it when I see his green eyes suddenly flash with annoyed expectation and he looks behind him.  _Whatever you're going to do, N, you'd better do it quickly, she's almost here._  He tells me and yowls to let her know where he is.

Damn it, how are they able to fight and  _still_  work together at the same time?

I reach for a branch above me, to pull myself up and higher, that way I stay out of sight. Apparently Zorua has other ideas, as all his weight suddenly lands on my back, knocking me off balance as my fingers miss the branch I was reaching for and I'm suddenly in the air on a swift descent towards the ground.

 _You idiot, Zorua! He's going to get hurt that way!_  Purrloin shouts, looking twice as big as normal as I brace myself, trying to remember how to fall without breaking any bones. I know it's going to hurt, and I anticipate this and feel myself tense automatically, knowing I have only a scant handful of seconds left before I end up breathless, sore and aching on the ground.

Out of what seems like an unbearable silence, her voice rings out as true and clear as a bell from a place I can't see.  _"_ Sewaddle, Swadloon, use String Shot, _now_!"

I'm trying to figure out why she's suddenly attacking me, or Zorua for that matter, and my fall is suddenly halted so suddenly I don't have time to do anything but let out a rather undignified yelp. Sticky strands of silk are wrapped tightly around me; I'm kind of grossed out by at first, but I realize in a moment just how close my head had come to connecting rather abruptly with the ground.

Close wasn't an appropriate enough word for what  _that_  had been, and Zorua's looking shocked up in the tree branch still. I can hear his voice.  _I didn't... I thought he had the tree branch, it looked like he had the tree!_  Shit, he's panicking too. I groan in a mix of frustration and resignation. It's going to take a long time for me to calm him down; I'm the  _only_ human that he promised never to hurt and never wanted to- and now he almost caused an admittedly serious injury, had Touko not shown up in time.

My eyes open as a shadow suddenly darkens the light, blinking a couple of time, I see her standing over me with her hands on her hips and an odd little smile on her face. It's an interesting smile, but I'm also kind of upside down at the same time, so everything is kind of interesting anyway. I can't tell if she's trying  _not_  to laugh at me or if she's worried, I could call it either way as I try to smile and find it coming out forced and kind of sheepish- exactly what I  _didn't_  want. "Uhh... hi."

I think I need to have my head examined; there's  _no way_  I just said that.


	11. More Questions

"Hi yourself," She says, unable to disguise her amusement and the laughter in her voice. Great, not only did I look like an idiot and  _sound_  like one, but I managed to make her not-quite laugh at me too. "So, uhh, want some help?"

Truly, this is not a day for the King of Heroes to be proud of. As if being stuck kind of upside down in a compromising position from where the collective String Shots had come from to help prevent me from hitting the ground wasn't bad enough, a large, yellow-tan head with two bead black eyes is suddenly in my face and regards me with all the curiosity of an infant.

The two tiny little fang-like protrusions below his mouth wiggle slightly as he studies me, his voice is very,  _very_  young and he's very naïve about the world already. ...he's not been inside a Poke Ball; he just heard a call for help and answered it with the only thing he knew he was good at doing.

 _Now_  I'm impressed and I smile at the little guy taking liberties with my personal space and speak to him. "Thank you, I appreciate your help." His eyes grow large, semi-moist and I get the impression he's kind of blushing as he skitters away and uses String Shot- again- to sling himself back into the safety of the canopy. I heard a very faint chitter of excitement as he tells everyone what he did and hear the rest of them murmur in confusion.

I don't blame them for being confused, I look up- again upside down- at Touko and do my best to give a  _not_  embarrassed smile this time. "Help would be _great_ , if you don't mind."

_**/\/\/\/\/\** _

"I totally didn't expect like,  _half_  of the ones in the trees and bushes to do it too." She says after helping me stand up and, with  _her_  Sewaddle, as the little bug informed me quite matter of factly, began carefully cutting away the thick, sticky silk strands that had probably spared me a trip back to the Castle and a lecture from Anthea and Concordia. I eye that little knife of hers carefully, where the hell she'd pulled it out of on her person was something I was still trying to figure out, but she used it like she knew, well, exactly what she was doing.

...I wonder if she's had a good reason to keep a weapon, even if it is an insignificant one, on her person?

I reply rather easily, like it  _isn't_  such a big deal that  _Wild_  Pokemon went out of their way to obey her commands- despite not belonging to her or anything. "It's definitely unusual for a normal trainer," at the suddenly suspicious look on her face, I force myself not to chuckle. She was looking for some kind of insult underneath the statement, it's kind of cute. "but stranger things have happened before."

A small, devious smile curves on her lips and suddenly reminds me rather strongly of the same look that Zorua often had when he was about to do something that was going to frustrate me for the next several hours. "Like grown men falling out of trees?" She asks innocently, the sparkle in her blue eyes betraying the laughter she was very clearly working to hide.

I'm being teased in a way that isn't malicious, by another human being, at that.

I cock my head to the side a little and study her, not responding to that until the smile suddenly fades off her face and she ducks her head, going back to sawing at some of the thicker strands of silk that are still binding my person.

"...sorry, bad joke." She apologizes after a moment and I snap out of my inner contemplation, suddenly feeling bad for ruining her playful mood. "Warped sense of humor, that's all. "

"No, it's true. Grown men _don't_  fall out of trees." I make a face and  _still_  feel stupid. I'm betting my Shadow Triad guard has shared this with his fellow members, they're probably all sharing a telepathic laugh, the bastards. There's a sudden lack of pressure as she cuts through the last of the bindings, the sudden mass of silk dropping in a tumbled, tangled heap to the ground. "It's supposed to be girls who fall out of trees, that way grown men can catch them and say silly things."

She gives me an odd, disbelieving look as I give her the same sort of devious smile, challenging her to ask me what those things were. This is actually kind of fun, bantering back and forth with someone who has a playful personality. I wonder what I should do now? I mean, I don't have a plan and it seems like things are going smoothly without one.

Should I go ahead and keep... what is it, hanging out?, with her or should I leave and come back when I have a solid plan in place?

"...I'm so going to regret asking," Touko says as she plucks silk strands out of her hair and shakes them off her hand. "but what kind of 'silly things' are we talking about here?" Her expression is still cautiously guarded, but there's a curiosity in her eyes and an acceptance of my challenge that I just can't let go.

...on second thought, I can make up a plan on the fly.

_**/\/\/\/\** _

Touko has a very nice laugh, I like it a lot... despite the fact I am being perfectly serious with the things I tell her. Apparently she didn't read enough as a child, a pity, because she missed out on the way things are  _supposed_  to go when it comes to heroes and damsels in distress. Except today was one of those days where everything was backwards; I am  _not_  a damsel, I am quite happily male and a hero, thank you very much. I just... had an unfortunate incident, that's all. Putting on an air of wounded dignity, I think about what I'm going to say next and insist on having her belief me.

I've lost enough pride for one day; she'll have to give me the victory on this one.

"It's not lame," I insist as I watch her try and stifle another fit of giggles as she looks at my serious face. "all the girls I used it on before have absolutely loved it, they believe it too!" Of course, all the 'girls' I'm talking about happen to be abused and desperately needing some tender loving care Pokemon but, hey. A girl is a girl, and a damsel in distress is a damsel in distress no matter what species she is. As a king and a hero, it's my job to help them.

Her expression's suddenly not as amused and cheerful anymore. There's an... almost suspicious and wary look that I don't like. It's as if she's sizing me up or making some sort of incorrect assumption about me.

"All the girls, huh?" She takes a good long look at me, shrugs, and kneels down to pick up her bag. "Well, you're cute enough, I guess it shouldn't be  _that_ big of a surprise." I watch her brow furrow as she rummages through the contents of the bag, looking for something until she utters an 'ah ha!' sort of sound and pulls it out. I recognize it immediately, though I wonder why she doesn't use that thing on her wrist just to download a digital version of it.

"...huh?" I blink at her, finally catching the remark she'd made as it sank in. Part of me is... strangely pleased about being called 'cute', I don't know why being called that word is a good thing, but it somehow is. On the other hand, there's something about her tone when she said it that implies, maybe, it's not such a good thing. "What shouldn't be that big of a surprise? That I'm cute?"

...damn her, again with these questions I don't understand or have an answer to!

She gives me a dubious look, as if she can't believe I just said that. "You're pretty full of yourself, aren't you, N?" Touko finally says after a while, shaking her head in disbelief and goes back to consulting her map. This woman is about the most aggravating person I have ever met in my entire life. I'm sure this isn't going to be the last time, but I wish I had the ability to read  _her_  mind and heart like I can with her Pokemon.

Although, I do take a moment and analyze what she said, trying to figure out if I understand it correctly. Full of myself? I haven't eaten anything, especially not in a way that would be considered, well, feeding or eating myself lately. That's a really weird phrase, I don't understand what it's supposed to mean. I don't just want to give up and make her think I'm an idiot though.

...but I'm not spending more than five minutes on this stupid question of hers.


	12. Just a Little Curious

I definitely spent more than five minutes on that stupid question of hers.

"I don't get it," I finally admit after an hour of following her around the forest, observing how she seems to check on each Pokemon who crosses her path and, inevitably, makes the decision on whether or not she's going to catch them or let them go. She's taking a break after that last battle, so I crouch down next to her, trying not to appear interested in the contents of her bag, or in anything she's doing right now.

Plotting her route, I'm guessing by the way she's taking out the map again. I get the strong feeling she's done looking for things in the forest and is ready to move on to new sights.

"Don't get what?" She asks me absently, apparently not caring that I'm following her to begin with. Once again, this girl provides an interesting, if frustrating puzzle. She doesn't know me at all, but she's allowing herself to be alone with me when I have the upper hand in all areas that matter. I can't tell if she's reckless, naïve or just that good at sensing whether or not someone is a good person. If it's recklessness, she's going to need someone to keep her out of trouble. If it's because she's naïve? I'll have to keep an eye on her so she doesn't end up crying and wounded like so many others have.

...if it's because she's good at sensing peoples' hearts and intentions? I'm  _definitely_  going to have to appoint someone, maybe even myself, as her guardian; her Pokemon are definitely strong like she is, but they won't be enough to protect her when it comes down to it. I can definitely say that much, I've heard of it and seen it happen before through the eyes of others.

Memories can be very painful things for Pokemon, after all.

But I'm getting off track; she's asking me another question, but I can answer this one since she's apparently forgotten the one driving me nuts this time. "What you said before, I don't get it." She's making me repeat myself when it's already hard enough to admit when I don't know something that seems so... simple and easy? Maybe she is cruel after all and is annoying me on purpose because she likes it.

Her eyes have a blank expression, blinking a couple times as I watch her search through what little conversation we've had today. She really does have some fascinating expressions, this girl, I could probably watch it for a long time without getting bored. A faint pink stain suddenly graces her cheeks as she lowers her eyes back down to her map, lower lip drawn beneath her teeth in a way I find enticing enough I'm unable to keep from staring. "S-Sorry. I don't remember, what'd I say?"

Instead of  _me_  being the one embarrassed,  _she_  is.

I think I'm okay with this.

"You said I was cute," I explain to her happily, more than able to jog her memory by repeating the conversation. Mostly because I was going to finally get an actual answer out of this girl who seems to be made of nothing but endless questions, endless, unknown formulas that I'm unable to solve. New knowledge is always welcome, in my eyes. It means I'm more powerful than before; and that's the absolute truth. "and that something about me being cute wasn't that big of a surprise." What was it she'd said exactly... oh yeah. "And when I asked you if my being cute wasn't a surprise, you asked me if I was full of myself."

Touko looks up at me, surprise back on her pretty face as she studies me in the same way she'd done the very first time we'd met. That very same, oddly weighty look that made me wonder what she was thinking even more than I usually did. "You're still thinking about that?" She asks, that note of disbelief in her voice again. Is everything I say so hard to believe or something?

"Well, yeah. What did you mean by that? I don't get it." I give her an equally surprised, slightly disbelief-filled voice and look. I mean, isn't it normal for someone to think on something they don't know until they either admit they don't know it- and then have someone tell them the answer- or they end up figuring it out and are all the better for it?

She rubs her forehead, I notice she does that whenever she's thinking about something that probably takes more than a quick explanation, or when she has to say something that might hurt someone's feelings. "It's another way of someone asking if you think highly of yourself." Her voice is very patient, and the odd look on her face still lingers as she watches me carefully. "Basically, I was kinda telling you that you're arrogant because you know you're good looking."

That wasn't all, and we both know it. I lock eyes with her and wait patiently for her to finish the explanation.

She breaks eye contact first and mutters something under her breath I don't quite catch before huffing to herself and saying the rest of it. "And because you're a ladykiller. Alright, there, I said it."

I have the decency not to look  _too_  pleased with myself at finally getting a straight answer out of her, but the smile on my face only earns me a glower that gets even more intense when I cheerfully pick up the heavy bag for her and carry it for her to the edge of the clearing and wait for her there.

"What the hell? Where are you going with my stuff- N! Come back here!" I hear her yell, scrambling to her feet as she storms after me and grabs hold of the white strap to the big pink bag. "Give it back, there's nothing in here for guys like you!"

I keep a firm hold on the bag, still smiling as I look down at her. She really is about six or seven inches shorter than I am, it's really funny how I never noticed this until now. "I can carry it for you," I tell her in my best King-like voice. "We're going in the same direction, after all. You get a free escort to make sure you get to your destination safely, it's the least I can do."

"You've gotta be kidding," She snaps at me, tugging in a futile way at the strap I have securely over my shoulder. "I don't need an escort, I'm fine by myself!"

She's really stubborn in a kind of cute, but annoyingly independent way. Maybe I should offer to read her stories about how young women should act in tales where they travel with a hero and member of royalty. Might help her realize she's doing things kind of wrong, she's a smart girl and will catch the hints, I'm sure.

 _You're barking up the wrong tree there, N._  Purrloin states calmly, draped over her shoulders like some strange kind of shawl.  _She's a princess type the same way you're the kind of person who'd make a good gym leader or elite four champion._ His claws appear after a moment when Touko tries tugging a bit too hard and nearly dislodges him. A mewling protest, sounding infinitely more pathetic than he really needed it to be stopped the motion almost immediately. Concern fills her face as she starts talking to him.

Zorua's muttered response from his perch on my shoulder and under my ponytail is that Purrloin is a huge suck up and is trying to pull strings for some shady plan. I wouldn't put it past him; but as the feline replies immediately, Zorua is very much like him and thus, in theory, should have his intentions questioned the exact same way.

"It's dangerous out here lately," I inform her quite sternly, surprising her into looking up at me with a wary look. I hate that look. It makes me feel like I'm the one who's done something bad. "I saw police in the area earlier today and they had a rather unhappy look on their faces as they patrolled."

"I have my Pokemon," She replies instantly, but the nervous, uneasy look she sends behind her is more than enough for me to decide on my own that it's in her best interest for me to stay. "I'll be fine with them, and as long as I don't, you know, do anything stupid. "

Why is this girl so ungodly stubborn?

I pinch the bridge of my nose slightly, suddenly stricken with the urge to growl at her for being so unreasonably  _human_. Why didn't the heroes and kings in the tales I studied so carefully ever mention anything about stubborn, headstrong women and how to handle them? "Be that as it may," I begin, trying to pick and choose my words carefully. "if they have Pokemon stronger than your own, it would mean big trouble." My tone is still sterner than I'd like it to be, but I take this kind of potential danger very seriously.

None too few of the friends I've made shed tears over not being able to save their trainer in time; I don't want any others to go through that. Not if I'm around and can help it.

She looks like she's going to argue with me more, I fix her with a look that says I mean business and I'm not playing around. "You're a smart girl, Touko, and I would hate to see you and your friends hurt because of a foolish mistake."

That look on her face shows up again, the one I remember from our very first encounter. It's this weird, exciting mix of surprise that quickly slips into a guarded kind of contemplation and curiosity. It defies any really good description, and it's confusing to try and even define in words; it's just something you would have to see in person. I wonder, privately, if it's a look she reserves just for me when I'm around or if I'm brought up in a conversation.

I can't decide if I like this expression or her smile more.

I watch her ponytail swish with the movement of her head, her clear, pure blue eyes looking right into mine as she cocks her head slightly to one side. Her arms fold over her chest and she shifts her weight on to her right hip and leg. She too seems to be measuring her words carefully. Much more so, I notice, than she does when she's around her two friends or around Pokemon.

I wonder why?

"You're speaking from experience, aren't you?" She asks, continuing on without allowing me a chance to reply. "That's why you won't drop it, am I right?"

I consider my options. I could be vague and hope she accepts it, I could relay one of the... less horrific memories from one of my poor friends, or I could go into full detail and hope it terrifies her to the point she'll actually stick close to me and ask me to protect her.

"I don't like talking about it," I say finally, a little  _too_  quickly for my own taste. "but, yes. I do speak from a certain level of personal experience." I turn towards her a little, trying to figure out if she could read me as well as I'm trying to read her. "So... how about it? Can I come with you?"

It's a long, tense silence between us, and I can almost swear she's going to tell me no, but thanks for the concern and go back to trying to take her bag away from me again. Finally, with a sigh of defeat that signals  _my_  victory, Touko shakes her head and gives me a look I can only describe as strange before she says something. "I guess, just for a little while though, okay?"

I smile at her, bowing in a way that Concordia had taught me a long time ago and made a grand gesture with one arm. "Of course, as milady wishes."I say with a solemn tone of voice, unable to keep said smile off my face and out of my eyes when I say it as I watch her flush pink and scowl at me. She's not used to having someone tease  _her_ , I'm starting to realize as we begin walking together.

"Hey N?" She breaks the silence about fifteen minutes later, right as I'm about to start peppering her with all of the questions I've thought of since my first encounter with her. I try not to appear frustrated with that development and do my best to look like I'm not thinking about anything.

"Hm? Something wrong?" I ask mildly, acting like it's no big deal and that I'm not really interested in what she's going to ask me. Maybe she'll ask me about Team Plasma, and more about what they want to accomplish. I'll have a chance to impress her then, and she'll definitely want to join.

She shakes her head. "No, just wanted to know if you wanted to play a game to pass the time."

I think the silence makes her nervous.

"What kind of game?" I don't know any games that can really be played while we're on the road, but, maybe she'll wanna play with the void cube I have. She seems like she might enjoy that.

Touko's smile suddenly isn't so comforting, not like I usually find it, and there's a glint in her blue eyes that makes me think of Zorua and Purrloin right as they're about to pull something that's going to get  _me_  into a massive amount of trouble. "Twenty questions;  _I_  get to start us off."

...I've never played this game before, and if that smile is anything to go by? I don't think I have much of a choice- or that I'll like this game very much.


	13. Resistance

I don't understand this game.

Twenty questions, as she calls it, can't possibly be as simple as it sounds. There simply must be a catch somewhere that ends badly for the people involved. All games have winners and losers; that's the way things go.

Which is why I'm trying to figure out what kind of score she's keeping as we trade questions back and forth. When I asked her if I have to do something if I don't want to answer a question, she laughed at me and told me I was thinking of 'Truth or Dare'. Said laughter stopped and she got that look on her face again when I asked her what the rules to that were.

"Alright, so... let's see," Touko's brow furrows as she tries thinking of a good question. We're up to fifteen now, and they're... really, really weird questions. She's asking me things I don't know the answer to, and her responses to  _my_  answers are stranger still. I've decided that, instead of imitating her own questions out of a lack of knowing what to do, I'll start getting her with really hard ones. Maybe I'll earn more points that way and will win this weird game. "what was your favorite game when you were a kid?"

...one of those questions again, why is she so interested in what I was like when I was little? Shouldn't she be asking me more relevant questions instead of things like what I like to eat or drink, what kind of colors I like or don't like and why I wear green sneakers instead of black or brown ones?

I shift her bag on my shoulder, thumb idly tracing a line of numbers into the woven fibers as I think of how to respond. "Mm, boccer." It was hard to play with just me, Zorua and the others though, so we made up our own rules and played that way. We're almost at the beginning of the bridge anyways, so crossing that should give us ample time to get through a good discussion from one of  _my_  questions. "What about yours?"

I nearly smack my forehead with my palm out of frustration as my mouth runs ahead of my mind. That's been a problem for the last three or four years now, and it's getting annoying. Stupid mouth, needs to stop until I tell it to do something and then do it the way I want instead of acting on its own. Sneaking a look to my right, where she's walking, I realize a couple of things that I hadn't before.

For one, why am  _I_  the one on the inside closest to the forest while she's walking practically on the road itself?

For the other, well, she looks pleased that I gave her a chance to tell me about her own life when she was little. Does she not get to talk very much about herself because of the people she's with? Or is she just not used to people being courteous?

"...hide and seek tag? What's that?" I can't help the questions from pouring out at this point and hold up my hand for a moment, trying to pause my mouth and her from answering anything I just said. "But I don't want those to count towards my questions, so don't answer them if you count them." As she pauses in midstep, surprised, I take the opportunity to launch one of the questions that'd just come to me not even two minutes before. "But this one counts; why are you walking on the outside? You're a girl, I'm supposed be in your spot."

For a moment, anger flashes through her clear blue eyes like summer lightning, like how I imagine Zekrom's lightning must have looked when he fought against Reshiram, and the annoyance quickly dies down as she shrugs at me, her expression oddly serious as she gives me a small smile I don't understand the meaning behind and answers me. "I didn't even think about it until you said something," Touko shakes her head again, kicking a small wedge of rock that rested on the road ahead of her. "but... I just have this feeling that you're  _always_  on the outside, so I put myself there so you didn't have to be."

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

"Look, I've got the barrier of the bridge I could get knocked over on the one side and another barrier separating me from the freakin' traffic; the only way you can keep me safe from both would be to put me in a Poke Ball or carry me- and don't even think about it, I saw that look!" She argues with me, hands on her hips as we stand at the top of the stairs of the bridge leading to Castelia City. Stubborn as I suspected, Touko won't let me be on the outside to protect her from anyone who might crash into her or challenge her to a stupid battle or hit her with a bike or anything like that.

...the idea of seeing if I  _could_  put her into a Poke Ball is more than a little tempting though, but then again, I like the idea of carrying her for a little bit too. It falls more in line with what a hero or king would do; carry the maiden across treacherous terrain in their arms with a sword and shield and gear on their backs after a long, arduous journey.

Her answer from before, admittedly, is why  _I'm_  refusing to budge from this spot or let her walk ahead of me until she agrees to let me walk on the outside. I'm not always on the outside, thank you very much, I'm on the inside loop of everything I do. I'm not left out of anything, so she's wrong and needs to take that back.

It's like she thinks I'm needing to be protected. It's laughable, a  _king_ , especially the king of  _heroes_ , needing to be protected from anyone. Sure, I have my father's Shadow Triad following me around as a safety precaution, but  _I'm_  the one who can command them to leave me be if I so wish it.

"It's a gentleman's duty to walk on the  _outside_  when there is a young woman involved," I inform her testily, she's making me lose my patience rather quickly and now I'm thinking of ways I can go ahead and make her do what I want. "so let me do what I was raised to do and you can ask me more questions." Bribery might work with her, it's iffy though, and that's also weird. Most people can be bribed some way or another, but she doesn't seem interested in a lot of those things.

With the way her hair is blowing in the wind, it kind of looks like how I imagine Reshiram's mane in the midst of the battlefield as well; a regal, untamed look that meant the legendary Pokemon would yield to no one who was unworthy. I really want to meet those two; the ones who were the former heroes' Pokemon. They're waiting for me somewhere, I just know it. I just need to find them and show them I am who they've been waiting for all this time.

"It's not the middle ages, N," She's  _still_  not budging. It's like she's taking after Purrloin or something, it's absolutely exasperating. "I'm a big girl and can walk on the outside just the same as you can. So just deal with it and let's go before it gets cold outside."

Ooh no, no she doesn't. I am  _not_  taking orders from someone like her. That's not going to happen and I stand up straight, looking down at her from my full height to try and make myself as imposing and commanding as possible.  _I'm_  the one giving orders here, and it's time I put her in her place. "I don't want to force you, it will make me feel bad and it's not something I will like." I tell her sternly. "But if you continue to argue with me, you'll leave me with no choice."

Her eyes narrow at me, and my heart begins that oddly heavy, fast beating it's done every time she gets  _that_  look in them. "Oh  _really_ , and what're you gonna do?"

Sensing a challenge, I lift my chin a little. She doesn't scare me. "I'll shut you up, and seeing as you're a smart girl, I'm sure you can think of a few ways I could possibly do it too." It's a bold move on my end, but it seems to be effective; her mouth drops open in shock and she's struck speechless. I take advantage of that to shoot her a triumphant smile, catch her by the hand and drag her away from her stubborn standing spot and make her walk on the inside- just as I wanted her to.

She might be better at twenty questions and other games than me, but I'm still the winner of any challenge she throws at me. Her rather pink cheeks are cute too, she looks kind of like a Pikachu from the far off Kanto region. A very fluffy, brown haired Pikachu with blue eyes, but a Pikachu nonetheless right now and it makes me want to laugh and tease her a little more to see if she'll try shooting lightning at me.

"Say, Touko," I ask after a little while of allowing her to sulk in defeat. "Would you ever think about joining Team Plasma?" I beam at her when her head jerks up sharply, surprise on her face. "That's one of my big questions, want me to ask more first so you have a choice of which to answer first?" I've definitely caught her this time, it's  _my_  turn to have her off guard instead of having it the other way around. Which is good; I'm tired of being off balance and off...  _everything_  I'm usually good at and with when it comes to her.

She doesn't answer me, so I take it as a sign to go ahead and ask my other questions. "What's your goal in your journey? Does everyone in your family become Pokemon Trainers or are you the first? Are you going to be a Trainer or are you looking at another kind of occupation?" That's three, I think I have one more and this one's gonna be the important one, so I'll save it for last and until after she answers the other three.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

Her answers didn't do much to please me, I'm not going to lie about that. If anything, they've only roused more questions about this girl than I had already. She's very evasive about two types of questions; those about her family, and those about her reason behind her journey. It doesn't make any kind of sense for her to be so secretive; it's not natural for her. I did catch something that looked like anger, maybe even resentment, in her eyes for a brief moment when she tersely told me her mother gave up her dream to settle down and have a family. The only thing she said about her father was that he was home all of three times a year and nothing more.

As for the Team Plasma question...

"...I don't know enough about 'em to have an opinion one way or another." She admits finally after a little while of thinking, we're a little over halfway across the bridge by the time she says anything. "So... sorry, I can't answer that one right now, maybe some other time, okay?"

We walk along in silence for a while longer, until I finally can't take it anymore and I ask my final question. "Touko," and I'm really nervous about this one. For some reason, her answer is very important, and I can't understand why. I even stop walking, watching her as she keeps moving forward at her own pace with her head held high and eyes looking straight ahead of her. She's not the type who looks behind her, not the type who wastes her time on the past.

She's always looking to the future. Everyone else looks to the past or is living in the present.

I wonder if she's lonely that way? I also wonder just what kind of future those eyes of hers see, and, once I know her a little bit better, I will ask her what she sees when she looks ahead of her. It's an odd way of phrasing it, but any other way just... didn't sound right. She's not just seeing the road her feet walk on, I think she's seeing many, many roads and is singling out which one is the best one, the most appropriate and fitting, for her to walk.

Finally, the odd young woman realizes I'm no longer following her and turns around. "N?" She sounds worried again, and not for the first time, I find myself annoyed at her. Why can't she smile and laugh around  _me_  the same way she does around that...  _idiot_  I first met her with, or her Pokemon? What about me is so different from them that she acts like this? "Are you okay?"

No, I'm not. I want her to be normal around me, be herself instead of this... I don't know what she is right now, but it's not her. The one I want is the girl with pure, clear eyes who smiles and laughs and has a lot of lively energy; the one who shows her heart in every expression she makes.

Not the one before me whose eyes show concern and an oddly thoughtful distance that makes me want to reach out and... I don't know,  _make_  her see what's in front of her. Force her to see the present instead of this future she keeps moving towards. "I'm fine, I just wanted to ask you a really important question."

Her expression returns to that one she had when we first met again.  _Damn it_. "What question is that?" She asks me in a softer kind of voice as she lets me catch up to her. It's when I'm this close to her that I realize that there's something scary about the intensity of her unwavering gaze as she looks up at me. She's nine inches shorter than I am, and yet  _I'm_  the one feeling like I'm six inches tall standing next to her.

She's close enough I can feel the heat building between her body and mine; it's comfortable, but it's not comfortable. I don't understand why it is, and why it isn't, bu that's the way I'm feeling it and I swallow hard, suddenly feeling like I've done something horribly wrong and I'm having to confess what I did, or didn't do, to my father. "Which would you choose; the truth or a dream?"


	14. Fool for No One

I've caught her off guard with that one, I can see it in her face and the truth of it in her eyes. I've never known anyone who can lie so perfectly that their eyes don't show the deception; it's why I like to get up close and personal. I can see exactly, to an extent, they're thinking of and how they're feeling. But, no matter how long I stare into her eyes, no matter how close I seem to be in proximity, she isn't backing down, isn't averting her gaze like even my father will at times.

She doesn't say anything either, is the strange part. About me being too close, that is, and I get this strange feeling that she's looking for the same answer in  _me_  that I'm wanting for her. Most people tell me I'm too close, or that I'm creeping them out when I look at them like that. My father says I have an intense gaze, it's why he didn't mind when that strange trainer gave me this baseball cap- it blunts the edge off, or so I've heard some of the grunts say.

Despite the sharp, cool wind assaulting us from every direction I can feel, the air between us feels stifling, heavy and heated... all it would take, I think to myself, would be a single spark. One little, insignificant and seemingly harmless spark or ember before what... whatever this was building up would explode in a way I can't begin to fathom. The very thought of it, the  _unknown_ , excites me and sends my heart into a painful pounding against my ribcage and a sick feeling in my stomach.

It makes me nervous, makes me scared and like I need to run away from her.

"Truth." Touko says and shatters the heavy, building-to-explosive silence between us with a clear, calm conviction in both voice and expression. She doesn't even bother fussing or fiddling with the windswept hair blowing into her face, and it lends her even more of an eerie feel than I'd initially gotten during this little game.

I wonder if this is what they were talking about when they said my eyes were too intense, that my presence is overwhelming when I'm speaking to my fellow Plasma men and women during recruitment and interviews. If it is, I wonder how  _normal_ , lowly humans can even possibly stand to look her in the eye or even be anywhere near her.

I was right; she's  _definitely_  special.

"Truth? That's an odd answer coming from a girl," I tell her, deciding to play sort of a devil's advocate since I want to know  _why_  she chose it. "most immediately choose their dreams. Why didn't you choose your dreams?" Don't tell me you don't have a dream, I think to myself with a frown. Someone _that_  talented and special without a dream? Impossible. There's just no way. I refuse to believe  _that_  could be a possibility.

Her expression goes back to the angry Pikachu-like one I'm starting to grow fond of, if only because it makes me want to laugh at her. "Well  _excuse me_ for not giving the right answer." She sounds annoyed and even a little insulted.

I wonder why? It's not like I meant anything bad by it, but most people I know would choose their dreams over any kind of reality. Or would rather make their dreams the reality, to be more fair. I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of those dreams would include being the 'queen' of Team Plasma, for a lot of those that I've recruited into my ranks. "I'm just curious, every other girl I've talked to has chosen her dreams instead of the truth. I want to know why you're choosing differently, that's all."

...did I sound a little too defensive when I said that? I think I might have.

"I'll tell you on one condition," She doesn't seem like she's any less mad about my question, and I'm nowhere near able to figure out why she's mad about it to begin with when it was a perfectly acceptable question. Her shoelace had come untied, and I don't get why she's changing shoes right in the middle of the bridge. Doesn't she realize that's a silly thing to do? She gives the laces on the black and pink shoes a quick, final looking tug. A satisfied look is on her face as she rises back up after zipping the bag she'd asked me to put down. I immediately pick it back up again after she's done, much to her annoyance and my delight at her reaction. "sound like a deal?"

"Depends on the condition," I immediately counter, suspicion rising within me without hesitation. Always something in exchange, that's the way this cruel world works. "what do you want from me?"

A smile jumps on her face, blue eyes lighting up with triumphant excitement as she faces me and points at me in a way that makes me laugh. She'd better be careful, if she points at the wrong person or Pokemon, someone'll end up biting her to teach her a lesson. "Race me; right here and now." She called out Purrloin and Snivy, the two immediately settling themselves on her person as she began to shift impatiently in place. "You won't give me my bag back, so I have to make it fair. Snivy and Purrloin should be about the same weight combined as my bag and Zorua."

She's even thinking of how to make things fair; what kind of human  _is_  this girl, I wonder? Such a complicated mess... I can't understand anything she does, where her motives and intentions lie.

"Hmm, how about this?" I pull out one of those detestable poke balls and tap her bag with it, the red light "capturing" the object and relieving my arm and shoulder of the pink duffle. I give the same smile that I think threw her off guard the last time as Zorua peers out from under my hair and around my neck at her. His whiskers tickle my neck and I'm forced to use a lot of self-control  _not_  to start squirming in place. "That way you don't have to worry so much, and Snivy or Purrloin can choose to sit out if they'd like."

Purrloin and Snivy had a brief but heated sounding argument that I didn't necessarily find very encouraging; the latter of the two wanting to be the one there so he could keep an eye on  _me_  and not have to worry about his trainer being fooled into agreeing to anything stupid. Purrloin's response was to tell him that he was worrying  _far_  too much, and that the both of us were too stupid to trick each other into anything truly damaging at this point.

Not sure who's side I want to be on right now, Snivy's for at least giving me a  _little_  credit in how dangerous I can be and what kind of threat I can pose to her, or Purrloin's for basically telling the tiny snake that I wouldn't hurt her or try anything bad.

In the end, it was Purrloin's promise to inform him of  _everything_  that happened and would switch places once at the finish line, wherever that was that finally allowed Snivy to retreat in peace, though with a glare in my direction that makes me glad he's probably not descended from one of those Kanto based Pokemon that can paralyze with a glance.

I chuckle, trying to stave off any nervousness about participating in this new game with her and raise an eyebrow at her. "It looks like you and Purrloin versus me and Zorua." It's an interesting match up, she and I, both of us with Dark type Pokemon draped across our shoulders. "Shall we say dinner is on the one who loses?" At her surprised look, I quickly clarify. "I mean, as the prize. After all, we're almost to Castelia and they have a  _lot_  of neat places to eat. Nothing expensive, I promise."

Not that I'd let her pay even if I wanted expensive food and won, but the less she knows the better, at this point. At least, until I get a better idea of what I'm up against.

Another brilliant smile is sent in my direction, I'm starting to feel like I might have to avoid a girl's smile at this point. It's a dangerous thing, those smiles, it just does something to their entire... being that makes them much prettier than anything else could. "You're on!" Touko replies, exactly the way I hoped she would. It means I know a little more about her; she's the kind who loves a challenge and has a very competitive, if not stubborn, nature.

I smile in return, feeling something within me respond to the challenge in her eyes. "As the saying goes, 'Ready, Set,  _Go_!"

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

If the smile she first gave me had been terrifying, the ones she'd given me afterward during our travels together were scarier and the one she got during a challenge was even more so? Then nothing,  _nothing_ , compared to the smile she gave me when she reached the 'finish line' a good eight feet ahead of me and spun around. An absolutely amazing sound slipped from her lips as she did so, a sound like none other than I'd ever heard in my life before.

A genuine, malice-less and condescension-free,  _joy_  filled laugh; the kind that only those experiencing the purest form of an emotion could ever hope to express to the rest of the world.

Was... this girl, this young  _woman_  even human?

"Looks like  _you_  get to take me out to dinner, buster!" She proclaimed, looking rather more like her Snivy for an instant with her prideful expression and pose. "Hope you're prepared, I eat like a boy after a good run like that!" Purrloin looked amused on my behalf, looking over at me with those all-knowing eyes of his.  _You were already planning to treat her to dinner, just so you could stay around her a little longer, weren't you?_

Apparently my expression said it all, as the smug look on his face only deepened and he licked at a wind-tossed patch of fur on his shoulder.  _Thought so. Just because someone's smaller than you, doesn't mean they don't put up a hell of a fight and beat you at your own game. Remember that, N. She's smarter than you give her credit for._  He warned me, suddenly serious as he fixed those big green eyes on me.  _Her questions are light in nature, but the way you answer them is more important than the answers themselves; just to let you know._

 _That_  wasn't a good thing, if what Purrloin was saying happened to be true.

 _Figures, you get yourself mixed up with some weird girl who actually reads between the lines the same way you hear and read a Pokemon's heart._ Zorua sounded halfway amused with the remainder sounding strongly disgusted. He's worried and I can tell by the way he keeps shooting looks over at Touko and Snivy as she fills the little snake in on the whole race between us. He looks at me, the concern clear in his aqua eyes.  _Be careful, N. She's already suspicious, we don't want her figuring things out before... whatever it is you've got planned for her is done._

"...mm." I make a low, quiet sound of agreement, gently scratching the agitated fox's ears and feel a faint smile on my own face as I watch the gradually dwindling sunlight illuminate and brighten that natural light that seems to emanate from her. "Touko, we should get going before it gets dark out. The city's big and we need to get you settled and fed before then."

Especially before I wind up having to take off and meet with the grunts for the mission briefing. I have to be especially careful around this place; it's Burgh's home territory and thus the lair of the one who may just be my biggest enemy. Hopefully my little warning from last time was more than enough to discourage him from confronting me directly- or contaminating Touko any further with his insidious lies and false promises of power.

"Okay!" She practically sings out, in the best mood I've seen her in since... well, since I've ever seen. That bothers me, irritates me a little for some reason, as I have the sneaking suspicion that she's like this a lot with that idiot 'friend' of hers she was with in Accumula City. "Oh!" I look at her sharply, distracted from the view of the open sea to see the somewhat guilty look on her face as she fiddles with the zipper on her vest. "I almost forgot, you wanted the reason why I said 'truth', right?"

...how in the hell did she make me  _forget_  that?

"Yes, yes I do." I reply immediately, all my attention and focus in full force back on the shorter girl as I walk quickly to catch up with her at the top of the stairs leading down to Castelia. Damn it, as much as I want the answer, I need to continue to be a gentleman; it'll lower her guard and make her trust me. And the more she trusts me, the more inclined she'll believe what I have to say and realize that my dream  _is_  the truth; that it's what we  _should_ do and what's right for all involved. "But first," I walk down a few steps ahead of her and turn, smiling at her as I offer my hand out to her. "allow me to escort you, my lady of victory."

Touko laughs again, a delighted sound that makes even the usually testy Zorua feel like smiling just a little bit at the sound of, and accepts my hand with a shake of her head. "You're really full of it, N, but it's kind of cute in a weird way." She tells me, light blue eyes shining with humor as she allows me to guide her down the steps like a princess should be. "Did your father teach you this or something?"

The idea of my father doing this, and the very image of it that springs up in my mind is enough to give me pause. "No, he's not the type who would do this." I reply absently, missing the exasperated look on both Zorua and Purrloin's faces, as well as the concern on Touko's at my answer. "But that's not important," I smile at her again, unable to help myself. I  _want_  to smile around her, it's rare that I want to do that around another human being. Concordia and Anthea are the only two, other than my friends and  _maybe_  my father on a couple occasions, who have actually seen me smile like this. A genuine smile, I think to myself, feels much different, and is much, much easier, than a fake smile I usually wear when recruiting more Team Plasma members. "making sure  _you_  have food in your stomach is much higher of a priority. You can tell me your answer while we wait."


	15. Stranger

Touko is becoming more and more difficult to figure out as the minutes drag past.

Her personality, her energy, her words and mannerisms, the way she speaks and moves... it changes constantly. So much so, that I can't get a single damn answer out of my observations that holds any weight longer than about five minutes.

Aggressive, and suddenly passive, and aggressive... and suddenly passive.

She seems like the kind of girl who is just ridiculously stubborn and used to having her way. So, naturally, you have to out-wit and out-argue her until she comes to her senses, and then will do as you say. Which is what I thought she did when I finally beat her in the argument by threatening to shut her up- something I have no idea how I'd do other than covering her mouth with my hand... and potentially getting bit because of it. But her expression and reaction seemed to indicate she'd thought of something much more interesting, and I want to know what she was thinking of.

This girl makes my head hurt.

But if I have to choose between why she gives off all these crazy damn signals and energies and just...  _everything_  or what she was thinking of on the bridge? I think I'll stick with the consistently changing energies and signs. At least that way I can actually get a solid reading of her, and then proceed to work out the unique formula that will explain everything I need to know about her actions and behavior.

...but she wasn't lying when she told me she could eat a lot of food.

I look at the empty plate in front of her, scraped clean, and watch her happily devouring the remnants of something that looked more like a dessert than a beverage to go with the food. It's hard to hide the smile that keeps threatening to spread across my face, especially because she has that little daub of whipped cream at the corner of her mouth. Hard not to smile because she was just so... simple, but not, in her reactions to things.

I've learned little more about her during our meal, but plenty about these...  _friends_  of hers who are also on their journeys with her. All three of them had grown up together, childhood playmates. She had known them about a year less than they had known one another, but had been easily assimilated into the duo to form a very natural, very complex and "unbeatable" trio, as she put it. Just by their descriptions, the pictures of the three of them she carries with her, and the stories she tells of their childhood antics, I already know how to sort them.

Bel, a slightly chubby girl with a pair of admittedly pretty green eyes and a cheerful, but vapid aura about her, is usually squished between the other two in the pictures she's shown me, and is most certainly 'white'. While her wardrobe choice leaves much to be desired and she  _seems_  like she's probably very nice, I can tell that this person is, unfortunately, really very weak and cannot protect herself, much less anyone else- human or Pokemon alike.

And then there's Cheren. It takes everything I have in me not to start glowering or come across as anything but listening, even interested, when she brings him up. There is hardly a smile on that little punk's face in any of those photos, and I looked through them three times. He smirks, or sneers, or even just  _scowls_  like it's such an inconvenience to have friends. He is most certainly one of the types of people I hate the most. Power is everything, and that's why he, in contrast to the weakness, helpless 'white' that is Bel, is the power hungry, and selfish 'black'.

Even  _with_  Bel in the pictures, how does one not want to at least smile a little when Touko is around? Put the two of them together, and I'm sure it's quite the puzzling, but entertaining scene.

"...let me guess, you've met Cheren?" The dry, exasperated note in the blue eyed girl's voice snapped me back out of my thoughts. I look at her and let the photo in my hand drop, mildly crumpled as she carefully tries to smooth it out, replaces them back into her wallet and proceeds to fix me with a stare that makes me feel like sweating bullets- if such a thing were possible.

She sighs and lifts her hat a little, scratching underneath it for a moment before readjusting it. It distracts me enough to wonder just how long her hair actually is, and why she bothers keeping it up in such an... unrefined, and unlady-like manner. "Look, whatever he said to you, I promise he didn't mean it to be nearly as insulting as it probably was." There's a look on her face that reminds me of Zorua when he's trying to convince me that  _he_  didn't do anything wrong when people started shouting and causing a fuss. That same sort of 'please, you have to believe me' kind of face.

Apparently I am not doing a very good job at hiding my skepticism, because Touko says something I don't think I was supposed to hear and just covers her face with her hands.

"I'm going to  _kill_  him when I get my hands on hi- huh?" Both of us look at the Xtransceiver on her wrist. The name flashing on there is Bel and I hurry and stand up, signaling that I'll be back in a moment. She probably thinks I'm heading to the bathroom and begins chatting with her friend like it's no big deal.

"'Truth doesn't lie; not like dreams do.'" I murmur to myself as I catch the eye of the manager playing host, likely covering the shift of an employee who couldn't make it in and approach. Repeating her answer to my question leaves me with an entirely new problem to resolve, as now I have to figure out if she  _fits_  into the 'black' category like that little wretch of a friend of hers, or if she's just foolishly misguided, like that  _other_  friend she's probably still talking to at this moment.

It's sad, but I wonder when she'll learn that the truth can be bent and twisted to lie just as well as those dreams she's hinted at having?

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

Unfortunately, I am late for a meeting with my father, and that  _will_  not go over well at all, unless I have some results for him. I consider, for a moment, and decide to run with my opinion that Nimbasa City is where we need to strike next. Not only is it a popular destination right now and thus will have a rather dense population for us to exploit, but it has the Ferris Wheel, and thus something  _I_  can personally enjoy as well.

Out of the corner of my eye as I slip through the crowd passing by the Castelia City Gym, I spot a very clueless, lost looking girl with a green beret speaking into the device on her wrist. A pink and purple Pokemon was hovering around her, expressing her concern of the thick crowds to the inattentive trainer at her side.

Bel.

I consider my options, hesitating for a moment outside of the building my father has rented out as a temporary hideout. An arrogant move on Team Plasma's end, for sure, but it was a move made to mock the lazy, self-centered personality of the city's Gym Leader. And so far? I've come to find it's worked, quite well as a matter of fact. He's never caught on that a decent portion of our operations and missions have successfully come from right across the street from his gaudy little stronghold. A member in disguise bumps into me, looking alarmed before I press a finger to my lips to indicate silence and beckon them closer.

Intrigued, they come closer and I whisper in their ear and nod to them.

For the sake of the Trainer and Pokemon alike, I'm sure Touko will understand when I have one of my loyal subjects 'remove' Bel's "friends" from her possession. It's for their own good, and Bel will be able to return to her home, instead of being knocked down time after time in this cruel world with no true boundaries.

I am sure Touko will appreciate my assistance in keeping that friend of hers safe.

_**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\** _

He is displeased when I enter, shooting a foul look over my shoulder at the gaudily decorated Pokemon Gym across the street. Honestly, you would think someone who claims to be an artist would have better taste than that. Humans, I shake my head in disgust as Zorua removes his disguise as a picture on the wall and lands on my shoulder. He growls, bearing his teeth at one of the Plasma Grunts who'd started to approach me from the side.  _Easy, Zorua. They will not hurt me, I'm their King. No loyal subject will hurt their ruler._  I assure him.

His response is not quite as comforting as I would have liked as he keeps a wary eye on the grunts around us as I approach my father.  _Exactly. No_ loyal _subject._  I'm unable to ask him what he means, as my father decides to make himself  _very_  known and steps forward from his position in front of the eleveator.

My father's voice is mild, deceptively so as I feel my shoulders stiffen beneath the words  _not_  spoken but implied within his voice. "We have been waiting for you, N." A longer than necessary pause is drawn out for emphasis, I can hear the shuffling of feet, of fabric and heads turning as the thick silence fills the air. It's always like this, for some reason. That same tone, forever used, no matter  _what_  task I am assigned. It's frustrating, but I am to endure it. My father has high expectations of me, after all.

"I am researching our next target. Castelia is worth nothing to us, not with Burgh's hold over the city." I'm all business now, sending another annoyed glance toward the gym. I felt I was particularly clear when I had my little encounter with him in the forest; and I will know by the next time I see Touko again. I'm already thinking about sending one of the Shadow Trio to do some research for me, since I am going to be quite busy.

My father seems interested, or at the very least skeptical towards my new plan as I begin to outline our next destination and the ideas I have come up with.

It's only a matter of time before one of the Trio tells him about my activities, so I had best make my plans now and enlighten him myself. I don't want him thinking I am prioritizing this girl over my duty as hero to the Pokemon and to Team Plasma's cause. Not when we have so much riding on keeping Pokemon safe from their dangerous, dependent relationship on the very humans who mistreat and take them for granted. She might be a valuable asset, but she cannot get in my way. I dislike the idea of violence towards a girl, as they're often much weaker than men like myself, but if push comes to shove- I  _will_  have her removed and eliminated as a threat. As long as I make that clear to my father, he will accept my interest in Touko as nothing more than curiosity that will fade in time.

He may even be willing to help me find a way to sway her to our cause.


	16. Important

My meeting did not go as planned.

Instead of having some helpful advice from my father, I have instead brought his attention to her. My father is a powerful man, almost as powerful I am, and to have her catch his interest is something I wanted to avoid from the very beginning. He believes in the future I have planned, has done all of the difficult, meaningless tasks so that I wouldn't have to, and leaves me to do the hardest parts of all; following my destiny and acquiring the skills necessary to become the Hero of Unova. From one end of the region to the other, I have to look and see just how tainted, how corrupted and irredeemable each town, city and village happens to be. I have to look for the places where Team Plasma can set up an operations base, that way our steady influence can continue to build and grow, until all will unite beneath me and none shall stand in the way of a new world.

I have to keep an eye out for people dangerous to our plans, and I have to get rid of them, or have my father and his sages do it.

To say that I am in an unpleasant mood is an understatement.

This mood of mine only grows darker as I mull about the conversation, obsessing over it and looking for any sign, any indicator of what Ghetsis may be planning to do with her. Perhaps sic one of the Shadow Triad on her? I consider the possibility. That was highly likely, they served as our spies, after all. And I could also get the information from them, after all, I  _am_  their King. After being dismissed, I had taken my leave, going on a walk to clear my head and find a new angle from which to approach my current predicament. With a new angle in mind, I was returning to my father to speak with him once more, only to find Touko standing in front of the hideout.

My eyes narrow at the blatant anger radiating off of her body, her eyes practically aflame as she reached for the handle to the glass doors leading into the lobby of our Castelia base. What in Arceus' name could possibly have incited her temper to this extent? I wonder, finding myself fascinated, but confused by her all at the same time. Before I can react, before I can even take another step,  _that_  man is there, reaching out and putting a hand on her.

I freeze in place, feeling something within me, something dark and ugly rising from the very pit of my stomach.

Burgh.

I  _told_  him.

I gave him  _one_  warning to stay away from her.

He's ignoring me, and she's attacking him now. Good, she's clearly seen the kind of threat he is to everything I stand for, that  _she_  sees in her future. That man dares to lay a hand on her further, grabbing her arm and speaking to her like she's his friend, like she's one of them- and she's  _listening_. This is unacceptable, and it's time for me to step in. I begin to leave the place I'm observing from, to interfere when a small, neat shadow separates itself from the cluster near the alleyway and plants itself in my path.

Purrloin.

 _Did you have something to do with this, N?_  He asks me, watching me with his large green eyes. He's even ignoring Zorua, who immediately leaped from my shoulder to stand in front of me. His tail swished in agitation, the sickle shaped point something to keep an eye on.  _She's angry._ Really _angry, the kind of angry that comes with someone robbing a nest or taking young from a den._

Zorua's ruff rises, needle sharp white teeth bared in the feline's direction.  _He didn't do anything to make her angry, maybe she's just looking for a fight._

A growl rumbled in the purple coated cat's throat, the tail slashing the air as if it wished to sever it in half.  _She chased one of N's servants here. That's why I figured N wouldn't be far._  His attention went back to me for a moment.  _He's never very far from at least one or two of those two legged Pidoves._

Part of me wanted to scold him, as the tone in his voice, along with his description of my men, was less than flattering and entirely inappropriate. ...but it was kind of funny, and the more I thought about it, the closer the two images became one in my head.  _They aren't two legged Pidove, it's just the uniform that makes them look so._  I told him, trying not to crack a smile in response.

 _They're Pidoves to me._  Purrloin retorted, Zorua echoing his reluctant agreement as the feline began grooming a paw. Settling it back to the concrete, those green eyes regarded me with a heavy weight once again.  _Did your men do something again, N?_

I frowned. Why was he so suspicious of my men, and of my own activities? No other reports have come in, that I have been made aware, anyway, of my men further harming Pokemon.  _I don't have any reports of my men pulling a repeat of the stunt in the Dreamyard, have you new information for me?_ The idea that my point hadn't been made clear enough made my blood boil. How many more people would have to be taught a severe lesson before they would understand that any injury I found on a Pokemon that was intentionally caused by a human's hand, foot or any other part of their body would be replicated?

 _Spit it out or I'll tear it out._ Zorua ordered, tensing as if ready to launch himself at his former friend.

Tiny, deadly claws glinted in the bit of light as Purrloin unsheathed them, fully prepared to engage in battle if that was necessary.  _Bel's friend was crying as they took her away, N._  He told me, never taking his eyes off of me even once. _She didn't want to leave the person who nursed her back to health after what your men did to her._

Zorua attacked, diving at the purple cat, snapping as the scythe-like tail slammed down, opening a long surface wound along the fox's snout and ear. _Then that girl should've been strong enough to protect her friend if she was that precious._ He snarled, managing a strong hit against the Dark type feline's ribs and sent him rolling.

It was true, I agreed with Zorua, and that was why the Munna had been taken away, hopefully with the rest of her Pokemon as well. That way painful incidents like this would never happen again. With her Pokemon liberated, she could return home, and find a suitable occupation for herself that  _didn't_ involve wandering the world, waiting for a wolf to come and devour her. I didn't agree, however, with the way these two were handling their clear disagreement, and something about how calm and collected Purrloin was being disturbed me greatly.

 _Being strong didn't keep you or me from being hurt, now did it, Zorua?_  Purrloin asked his friend, ignoring the painful injuries and bruises he could feel beneath his coat. He streaked past the charcoal colored fox, multiple scratches, lacerations opening up on the vulpine Pokemon's side before he seemed to vanish. A moment passed before Zorua was sent rolling closer to the shadows of the alley he'd been watching from, the purple feline neatly rising from the crouch he'd landed in.  _It didn't keep_ any _of us from getting hurt, even with the extras our former trainers granted us to try and make_ us _as powerful as they wanted_.

One aqua eye opened as he struggled to his feet, furious, injured and aching. When had Purrloin decided to stop playing like he wasn't even half the strength he actually was?  _What's your point, fish eater? Are you actually_ saying _that someone as weak as she-_

 _Enough_.I cut in sharply, placing myself between the two.  _This has gone far enough, you two are friends, you don't go after one another as if you mean to kill each other in the name of your opinions._  Zorua let me pick him up, allowed me to feed him one of the sour berries he enjoys stealing from kitchens so much and glared at Purrloin.

At Purrloin, who wouldn't allow me to touch him, and who wouldn't accept a berry from me.

It hurt more than I thought it would, and it must have shown along with the surprise on my face.  _I don't understand, why are you asking me about Touko's anger?_  I asked him, wanting to know his whole reason for showing up, and really wanting to know why the look in his eyes reminded me so much _of_  the very Trainer he had chosen to accompany after I had let him return to his natural home in the wild.

Part of me felt bad, I would admit, about hearing that the Munna had cried after being separated from that weak girl, the one who was the shade of white out of Touko's two friends. After all, just hearing the stories about the girl, and what  _hadn't_  been mentioned but had been clear in the way those blue eyes had turned stormy with a quiet, dormant rage waiting to be brought from where it lay smoldering within her, had given me the impression that she would never intentionally harm another Pokemon, or human being for that matter.

It was the whole risk of unintentional injury that I couldn't find acceptable, that she would be taken advantage of and her Pokemon taken from her anyway, even without my order, that decided me on the matter. She and the Munna would cry, but they would forget one another soon, and then it wouldn't matter, as neither would even recall they had spent any time with each other once I separated the worlds.

 _Because Bel is crying,_ He replies after a long moment, standing there with his fur rumpled and matted in places from where his injuries were slowly scabbing over.  _and Minnie is crying too._ Purrloin said nothing more for a long moment, staring me down and seemed to find the answer, and it made him sad. I could  _feel_  it make him sad even from where I stood. It was the moment the sadness hit his eyes that I realized why the way he was looking at me disturbed me in such a way, why it bothered me so much.

He was looking at me with the same kind of eyes as his trainer.

"...Purrloin," I begin to speak, stopped by the way the cat gets to his feet and begins heading across the busy street. Burgh and Touko are gone, I realize with a rush of panic. Had he taken her to his Gym to try and brainwash her the way he did all who entered that foul, gaudy place? No, Purrloin wouldn't just abandon her, he'd taken a shine to her, was still wearing the ribbon she'd given him around the neck the trainer  _I'd_  saved him from had scarred so thoughtlessly.

He looks back at me once as he approaches the street.  _...you're my friends, and that's why I came here tonight, to warn you again._  Purrloin says after a long moment of watching me, and watching Zorua.  _Her friends are important to her, like your friends are to you._ Another pause and he finally leaps to the street, keeping an eye on the rush of people and bicycles that run through the area.  _I don't want to fight my friends, and I don't want my friends to fight either._

And he was gone, streaking in a blur of purple and cream colored fur across the street and through the cracked entryway of the hideout. Over the crowd's noises, I can hear the sounds of shouts, of battle waging within the building and slowly back away, placing myself in the shadows of Purrloin's alley hiding spot and knelt to one knee beside one of the overflowing trash heaps. The smell is obnoxious, overpowering and I'm pretty sure a few of the wandering humans have likely relieved themselves, as well as Pokemon, in this spot a few times in recent history.

Her friends were important to her, like my friends are to me.

Was he suggesting that she was angry that Bel's Pokemon had been stolen?

I thought about that for a moment, turning it over in my head like a complex math equation. If I went with that as a true fact, instead of speculation, then it would mean I may have risked the possibility of discrediting myself in the future if she knew I was a member of Team Plasma. Potentially thinking me biased, and thus less likely to listen to what I have to say, and even less likely to  _join_  Team Plasma even if offered a high ranked position within the group.

 _N?_  Zorua's voice was questioning, suspiciously subdued as he and I watched Team Plasma head out of the building, several of the grunts looking less than pleased, a few even looking remarkably depressed and defeated. Rood, Bronius and my father are in the center. The first two looking highly agitated, spots of color on their pallid faces as they talked frantically amongst themselves. They probably didn't care for the display of power that Burgh wielded on them. Good, it'd just solidify my father and I's point that the Gym Leaders,  _and_  especially the Elite Four, held far,  _far_  too much power over the people in Unova, and how it needed to stop as quickly as possible. What I didn't like, was the remarkably neutral expression on my father's face; he was thinking hard about what he had just seen.

My concern over that expression on my father's face quickly dissolved into something I supposed was close to fear as I watched the group of figures walking out of the hideout next. Leading the group, with Purrloin in her arms, was the familiar face and form of a girl with eyes as blue and fathomless as the summer skies.

"...Touko, what have you done?" I whispered.


	17. In The Shadow

This wasn't the time to panic. Giving in to such a thing would only lose precious time I don't have to waste on something so ridiculous. I had to think fast, I had to  _think_  in order to make a plan that would outwit anything my father could possibly come up with.  _I_  had been the one to scout her, had been the one to see her potential, therefore, she was  _my_  responsibility. Mine, and mine alone.

My father and his men would be in charge of collecting loyal followers, of converting the masses and taking care of details I didn't care about, or that I didn't understand very well and had no time to learn. I slipped through the streets quietly, hands shoved in the pocket of my pants as I kept one eye on the traveling group. Burgh separated from them early on, I may decide to pay him a visit after I'm done with my current goal, and the other three entered the Pokemon Center. There was something to be said for being predictable, and for the first time since I had met her, I found myself relieved. She was going exactly where I expected, and predicted she would go.

Good, she would likely stay there until morning, giving me more than enough time to figure out something to send along to my father, and convince him I had her, and everything else, under control. "Zorua," I murmur to my friend on my shoulder, feeling him move, listening and awaiting my next command. None were more faithful than Pokemon, humans could only be trusted to a certain extent, Pokemon wouldn't betray you unless you did something to hurt them deeply. "keep an eye out, if she goes anywhere, I want you to follow her and keep her out of trouble while I'm gone."

Aqua eyes narrowed as he leaped nimbly down from my shoulder, standing in front of me with an annoyed look on my face.  _Isn't that Purrloin's job?_  He asks plaintively, clearly unhappy at the thought of being told to do something that went against his usual mission. It was a good idea, really, I realize after a moment. Getting him used to tasks  _not_  associated with causing fear with his illusions was an important matter, he didn't want to be in his new world without friends because of his attitude, after all.

"Purrloin has his own tasks," I tell him, wording things carefully. I don't want Zorua believing his friend had chosen another, and was now going against us in his own way. Not until I have a solid grasp of where exactly his loyalties... and where his mindset was going. His time with Touko was remarkable, but I wonder what she's been doing with him to make him trust her in the same way he eventually learned to trust me. "do you really want him to do this as well as everything else I've asked?"

Apparently that was more than enough for the vulpine Pokemon, as his fur bristled at the hint that Purrloin might be doing more work for me than  _he_  was. _No! I can do_ more _than he can, and you know that. I'm better and stronger than he is._ A white light temporarily hid him from my sight, stretching and elongating his form to an identical version of myself. Unless one was used to it, seeing a mirror image of yourself like that had a tendency to be quite disconcerting. "I" disappeared, walking silently down the sidewalk a little ways before being seated, slouched low on a bench close by a broken streetlight and fiddled with the imitation of my cube.

Zorua's attention to detail is a little disturbing at times.

_**/\/\/\/\** _

I lean back against the cold plastic of the phone booth and shut my eyes for a moment, willing the blood pounding drum-like in my ears to disappear. Things, loathe as I am to admit it, are starting to spiral out of my control, and out of the range of prediction. On one hand, my father has praised my ability to pick out people with true potential to aid our cause and seems very interested in my decision to convert her to our side. He has willingly offered the use of the Shadow Triad to...  _escort_  her, if need be, to a place where we may speak alone, that way I may educate her on Team Plasma's true goals and why joining our side would be in her best interest.

That he is also interested enough to offer a proper education and thorough recounting of Team Plasma's founding, however, isn't comforting.

It's a terrible thing to think about one's father, but I can't help but be extremely wary of him when it comes to educating others. My own education was extremely thorough, extremely regulated and highly effectual to make me into a King, of course, so he has definitely done his work properly. Something about the tone in his voice, and the look of deep thought on his face from earlier, however, still give me hesitation to let him handle anything related to Touko. I am fortunate, however, and am still currently in charge of  _her_  specific recruitment.

With his blessing, I am also allowed a few... detours, shall we put it, along the way to my next destination in Nimbasa City. Father approves of my plan to get close to her, to befriend her as I would an injured Pokemon, and has encouraged me to increase the number of encounters I have with her in order to rapidly build that friendship with her. In return, he will be picking up more of the planning stages and heading several demonstrations that I, myself, am supposed to be in attendance at to encourage my fellow Plasma members to continue fighting against the oppressive, violence loving ways that the Elite Four and their Gym Leader pawns advocate.

In short, I've a little more freedom than I initially thought.

Not that I  _mind_  the change, it'll do me well in the long run. But it's a sudden one, and sudden changes do not sit well with me. It's why I'm not headed back to the Pokemon Center quite yet, I need a few minutes to combat the anxiety I know is going to threaten my composure. I am a King, and Kings do _not_  give into panic attacks when something suddenly isn't going according to plan or changes without their consent.

A furry muzzle brushes against my hand, causing me to jump a little as I open my eyes and look down, blinking several times to allow my eyes time to readjust. I'm surprised, again, by the sight of Zorua looking on in concern. He's supposed to be with Touko, sort of, not here with me. "Zorua, what're you doing here?" I ask, frowning at him. He'd better not have gotten bored or decided she wasn't worth his time.

His tail flicked in annoyance from side to side.  _She didn't see you, and you were sleeping in the booth. I was following her. I think she's chasing some boy, it's weird._ Zorua's tone implied he didn't approve of anyone being out except for us, but seemed interested in what she could possibly be doing chasing someone down in the middle of the night.  _Purrloin's following her too, she doesn't know that either._  He added after a moment, jumping on to my shoulder again as I take off in the direction he indicated. It's  _late_  and she should be asleep, not gallivanting off like some master ninja from a movie. Terrible things happened to young women in the dead of night, hasn't she read the number of rising assaults in the newspaper?

We catch up before too long, and she's standing there with a boy dressed in a blue and white jacket, red baseball cap pulled over short brown hair and baggy black pants tucked into his red shoes. I'm in just the right position to see his face- and he's younger looking than she is by a few years, though I may be underestimating him. Other than his youthfulness, the next thing that catches my attention about him is the similarities between his face and Touko's own.

He seems surprised, but happy to see her, even if his expression's a little reluctant at the moment. Zorua mentions to me that his scent is a 'nice' one, but adds that he seems sad and nervous. I move a little closer, sticking to the darker shadows in the sidewalk. I'm used to walking near-silently, and do my best to keep moving slowly, so I'm not noticed too quickly. I'm able to get close before I stop and strain my ears to try and catch some of the conversation between the two.

"-don't know, he didn't say." The brown haired boy tells her with an uncomfortable shrug, his hands in his pockets and his dark eyes cast down at the cement.

Judging by her body language, that wasn't the answer she'd wanted. I sympathize with that, knowing how very frustrating it feels to not have your questions answered properly. Part of me even thinks it kind of serves her right, after all, she's only generated  _more_  questions for me than she's been able to give me acceptable answers. Suddenly, the anger I can see in her turns into something else, the sharp edge in her tone softening only a little, turning suspicious. "Why're you here, Touya?"

Guilt flashes across the boy's face, and I have the strongest feeling that he- Touya, that is- can't hide his reactions or his emotions very well, and he scuffs the toe of his sneaker against the cement. "Nothin'," he mumbles evasively, eyes on the ground again. After a moment, he peeked up to see her expression, and given the look on his face, it wasn't at all the one he'd wanted to see. He sighed, shoulders slumping a little as he went back to toeing the street. "you don't have to give me a dirty look, Tou, you know I was gonna tell you anyway."

"I'm gonna  _give_  you a dirty look because it's almost two in the freakin' morning and  _way_  past curfew," Touko scolds him, her arms moving from her sides to fold in front of her. "does M-" a moment passed, an awkward silence hanging precariously between the two of them before she spoke again. "Does she know you're out?"

"I left her a note," he tells her quietly, shuffling around in his pockets for something. "I wanted to get a snack for me 'n Angelo, since we couldn't sleep." Another pause, a shy look on his face as he looked up at her. "Plus, Mom said she thought she'd seen you running around Central Plaza, I was gonna stop at the Pokemon Center to see if you were there."

Surprise was in her voice as she responds, I'm finding that I like seeing her interact with other people while she can't see me, or doesn't know I'm there. I'm learning much more about her this way than I normally would. "Angelo?" She's still displeased with him, that much is a certainty, but there's a curiosity in her voice that I echo internally. Who is this Angelo? A friend? A sibling, perhaps?

His expression brightens considerably and he removes a Poke Ball almost reverently from his jacket pocket. I frown immediately at the sight of it. Of course he would be another Trainer. Most children were poisoned from early on to believe the Trainer's life was their best option, why should he be any different? The way he handles the capsule device is interesting though, it's as if he knows the creature inside is delicate and worth protecting. He must not know that, however, if he's going the Trainer's route, it's just completely at odds with everything that Pokemon protection should be. "This is Angelo," Touya proudly explains and taps the button.

A stream of red light emerges, shapeless and glowing in the night air before settling itself into the form of a tiny orange creature with a black and red painted rock on its back. Beady black eyes blink rapidly and regard Touya, and then Touko in surprise. A Dwebble, I recognize immediately. ...correction, a very  _small_  Dwebble, one about half, if that, the size it truly should be.

A squeal of delight shatters my focus on listening to it chatter to itself, posing inquiries as to why he's not in his room- which was apparently rather clean and had a lot of places to play and explore- and making comments about Touko herself. Apparently their scents are similar enough that he rather enjoyed being in Touya's hand with Touko looking at him. "He's so cute!" She exclaims, watching as the tiny Pokemon puffs himself up to make himself look bigger. "How long've you had him?"

He's rather pleased at being called cute, I guess Touko wasn't messing with me when she said it was a compliment. Which confuses me, because it implies she thinks  _I'm_  cute... and there's really nothing in common between myself and Angelo, as the Bug type likes to be called. I've checked out of the conversation at the moment, sorting through my own thoughts and things that I'm trying to remember her saying to me during our little miniature travel sessions together.

Unfortunately, this is not the time for me to be diving my attention, as Zorua's short, sharp bark of alarm is the only warning I get of someone, no, several someones, approaching the two in front of me. Damn it, where did those thugs come from and why didn't I sense them approaching before now!

One of them smiles in a way I'm not appreciative of at Touko as she gently, but firmly, guides Touya and Angelo behind her and spreads her legs apart a shoulder's length apart. My eyes drop to her feet, noticing she was on the balls of her feet. A sense of approval washes through me unexpectedly; she isn't a fool,  _someone_  taught her a few basic things, and I'm left to wonder just who that someone might have been.

The conversation is tense, and ugly, but she doesn't goad them or provoke them in anyway. Her voice is loud and clear, firm and direct. Touya has Angelo clutched protectively to his chest, and I suddenly have an odd feeling that this is not the first time that she has defended this boy from someone else. Or that it's her first time taking this exact stance against someone bigger and stronger than she was. They want money, and their Pokemon, of course, but they were certainly up for bargaining, if she was in the mood to do so.

_So, what are you going to do, N?_

I jump a little at the voice, glancing sharply down to see Zorua and Purrloin- who'd managed to sneak up on me  _again_ \- looking up at me with a mutually unreadable expression. This wasn't a conversation that would end favorably for me, I realize after a moment's studying of the two. Normally, Purrloin and Zorua would fight each other until neither one of them could stand back up, or until I called the whole matter off. But, like now, there were times the two of them would team up against someone else... and I have the sickening feeling that now was going to be one of those times. His scythe-like tail swished idly once or twice before curling neatly at his feat, Zorua's ears were flicking back, and both of them kept their eyes on me.

 _Yeah, N,_  Zorua echoed, a bit of a challenge in his voice.  _What_ are _you going to do?_

It wasn't even a question about  _what_ , I realize with a near-silent sigh, but more of  _how_  I was going to intervene without aggravating one or both parties. Well, one I didn't particularly care about, they were fools, ruffians of the lowest caliber and needed to be obliterated from existence as far as I was concerned.  _Will you aid me?_  I ask them formally, the way I always do when it comes to asking my friends to help me in my journey, in my quest to deliver them to a world that would appreciate them and never harm them the way this cruel place continues to.

Purrloin and Zorua exchange a worrying glance before turning their attention back to me.  _We will help you._ Purrloin answers first, his mental voice filled with a gentle cruelty that I had hoped would have vanished in the time I've known him, and even more so since Touko had taken responsibility for his care.

 _Tell us what we need to do first,_ Zorua adds after Purrloin, I know that tone of voice and it isn't a good one. I know the last man who earned  _that_  tone out of Zorua now walked with a permanent limp even after reconstructive surgery on his leg.  _and we'll do it,_ gladly _. That Dwebble needs help, and saving the humans is alright too, I guess._

 _One of those humans is_ my _human, of course we will save them too._  The emerald eyed cat admonished the black fox with a glower. I was a little surprised to hear Purrloin claim a human as their own, but he'd been protective of her ever since his warning and our last encounter. I relay a plan to them and immediately caution them to take care of themselves first and foremost before anything else- and  _not_ to get hurt. I wanted them to run if there was any sign it was going to go unfavorably. They both vanish, using their shadowy natures to creep through the darker parts of both sides of the streets as they headed to flank the three thugs currently biding their time taunting Touko and Touya with things I don't find appropriate to even  _think_ about repeating.

Human beings are truly disgusting creatures.

"Gentlemen," my voice rings out loud and clear, an authoritative note cutting through the tension and laughter on their end, as I approach with strong, even steps towards them. My hands are in my pockets, the cube at the end of my chain knocking against my thigh as the light metallic sound echoes in the air. To the untrained eye, I am completely relaxed and at ease, as if going for a mere stroll. Inside me, however, I am shaking with rage. "is there something  _I_  can help you with?"


	18. Hands Off

I have heard filthy comments aimed at women, have heard countless conversations from man and woman alike about the... things they threaten to do with each other if crossed. Time and time before, I have ignored these threats, even the follow through they have done in the past to those they've threatened. After all, human against human isn't any of my concern. The less of them, the better as far as I'm concerned. The things these...  _things_ have said, however, are amongst some of the most crude and vile I've ever heard, complete with some sort of obscene gesture involving their hands and mouths.

Lower than insects, the entire lot of them.

Every step I take toward the two being intimidated is matched in time with a thundering in my hearts. I don't know if it's the drum of my heart or my blood boiling with the anger that's rising by the moment. It's been a long day, and I  _did_  try to give myself time to adjust to the rapid series of changes in plans over the next several... weeks, maybe even months. It isn't my fault that these inferior peons decided they were going to test me and go after what I've already claimed as mine.

It isn't my fault that Burgh is  _definitely_  getting a visit later on tonight.

"Get lost, freak." One of them spits at me, literally, and I watch the glob of saliva splatter against the ground. Ill mannered on top of worthless to society. This world needs a hero even more than I initially anticipated. "Our business is with the girl, not with you."

"I beg to differ." I respond coldly, placing myself just enough in front of her that there could be no misunderstandings; that girl is  _mine,_  and thus under my protection. I'm even feeling generous enough to extend that protection to the boy she's keeping behind her too, though I make a mental note to have a serious talk about her lack of ability to properly judge others' intentions. "What business you may have with her is finished, I will be the one you speak with now."

There's a conversation going on, fierce and bitter, behind me between the two of them. Well, conversation is the wrong word for it, I should say it's a fierce argument between the two under my protection. If the situation were not as precarious as it happens to be, I would be more than amused at the way the rather passive boy was showing a streak as stubborn as the woman with Reshiram's eyes. There's no time for any words to be spoken to either of them, as the man on the right decides to come at me.

My world narrows down to that man's presence and the ground beneath my feet. His fist swings, aiming directly for my face as I step quickly to the side, leaning back away and catch him by the elbow. Using his weight and force against him, I turn him back to where the second had come to back him up and shove hard, sending the man's head crashing into the sternum of the other. I can't help but smile in triumph when the two go down, the one who served as back up cracking his head with a sharp, hollow sound against the unyielding ground and remained still.

The one I redirected stumbles to his feet, uttering a great many things that aren't suited for younger ears to hear as he comes after me again. I play with him, blocking his punches and sending him stumbling away from me like a cat would with a mouse. Laughable, truly, utterly  _laughable_ , how these cretins think they can possibly touch  _me_. I am everything they are not and never will be, I will not lower myself, bend on one knee to a pathetic excuse for life such as this. They attack in a futile manner, I laugh to myself, silently of course, as he tries yet again and is rewarded with a face full of asphalt a moment later.

"Do you understand now?" I ask of them, gesturing all around me. "You simply cannot win. One lies bleeding on the ground, unconscious, from his failed assault, and  _you_ , you can't even come close to landing a blow." He's wiping blood and dirt, specks of gravel and glass off his face with hate in his eyes. Good. Once that hatred vanishes, it'll be replaced by fear- and I  _want_  him, and his pathetic excuses for friends to understand that I control the future of this world.

I can erase them from it so very, very easily, and they have already given me reason enough-

"N!"

Her voice was the last thing I heard before stars exploded in my vision, air leaving my lungs in a rush as pain, heated, intense and sharp swept through my body and destroyed any sensation I had in my legs. I hit the ground abruptly, choking and trying to get air into my starved lungs as something hard and blunt took the time to plant itself into my ribs and knocked me on my back. The sky spun in a nauseating display of black, bright lights and color that refused to focus into any sort of definitive shape. Control had been mine, why wasn't it mine any longer? I wondered in a brief moment of confusion and panic.

"-ofabitch!" She's furious, I hear her, somehow, over the din of my heart thundering hard enough in my chest to hurt. There's a sharp yell of shock from one of the men that sends a lance of pain through my head, another bellow coming from my other side as I vaguely heard something too soft for my muddled wits to make out. Voices, I can hear voices, many of them. Not human, I know the difference between human and other.

 _N!_  Zorua's voice is at my side, a cold, wet nose nuzzling my hand in worry. I can barely make him out with the world still spinning as it is. I want to tell him I'm fine, want to tell him everything's okay even though the pain has gone from sharp and breath taking to dull and throbbing in time with my heart. He's furious, I can feel it, and Purrloin's close by, maybe with Touko, I can hear and sense his fury too.  _They're not gonna get away with this,_  the black and red fox vows to me, I hear his growl rumbling like thunder in my head.  _Not gonna let 'em get away with this!_  He disappears from my side quickly, before I can protest.

I struggle to move, my lungs finally relinquishing their control and allowing me to breathe again. I wince, hard. I took a blow meant for a man with more on him than my admittedly thin frame. Nothing broken that I can tell, cracked is entirely possible, and nasty bruises are a certainty. I blink rapidly, shutting my eyes tightly and opening them again in hopes they'll recover as well. Through a slightly watery vision that felt out of focus, I stare in shock at the sight of Touko being lifted by the lapels of her vest and hoisted high into the air as if she were nothing more than a child, her feet dangling harmlessly with no purchase what so ever. He shakes her twice, her nails digging into his wrists as she tries to get him to drop her.

My mouth goes dry.

He's going to kill her, and there's nothing I'm able to do about it.

Her furious expression twists into a snarl, teeth bared in a feral parody of a smile that I find particularly worrying, and very reminiscent of a combination of Purrloin and Zorua as she draws her feet up and launches a two footed kick with as much strength as she could muster into the lowlife's protruding stomach. His eyes bulge slightly from the impact, an expression of grim satisfaction on her face as her body swings from the recoil. It looks like she's preparing to do it again- and does, much to my surprise, and this one's enough to knock him back a little, an ugly noise escaping in a wheeze out of his mouth as he hits the ground, rear end first. She glares at him and, before she can thrust a leg out to attack a vulnerable place, Zorua's suddenly there with his tiny, needle-sharp fangs embedding themselves deep within the man's wrist.

With a sharp, harsh sound, he instinctively releases Touko's wrist, the girl whistling sharply for Zorua to back off before that meaty fist reaches for him as she practically skips backwards several paces to draw distance between the ogre and herself. Zorua, feeling cooperative or something, I'm not sure what he's planning right now, lets go and kicks off, leaving a series of sharp scratches down the man's arm that well up with blood. He lands just in front of Touko, giving her a look over one shoulder to make sure she was unharmed, or relatively so, and then puffs up, growling in a way that should have been more threatening than it likely seemed.

My eyes dart to the boy- Touya, as I thought I heard her call him- and narrow. He's having significantly less luck repelling his giant opponent. Angelo is angry and scared for his friend- another Pokemon referring to their trainer as a friend, where are all of them coming from? Never before have so many Pokemon called a human anything other than cruel and mean.- but is very determined to protect him. Small rocks, hardly bigger than a pebble that would fit within the palm of my hand, launch themselves at the man's head, face and anywhere else they could find exposed, vulnerable skin.

I cringe as I attempt to straighten up, arm instinctively wrapping around my ribs as my fingers probe the sore places. Definitely bruised, perhaps even to the point the bone itself is bruised, he managed to hit me hard, and twice at that. Thankfully, not in the same place, or I may have more to worry about than I believe I do right now. A hero can always lick their wounds later, I try and remind myself, giving myself a pep talk of sorts, but he must always place the safety of those under his protection first and foremost.

One rock strikes in a lucky place, opening up a small, but deep cut just above the man's eye. It's enough to stop him in his tracks as he tries to stem the flow and keep it from getting in his eye. Touko must have noticed it too, during the short moment she glances over her shoulder at him. I need to make sure she's alright too, that she wasn't injured and  _wouldn't_  be so during this.

I need to finish this before it gets uglier.

"Touya, get over here!" Touko orders, her voice sharp as she keeps her eyes on the man lumbering back to his feet, rubbing the blood off of his wrists with a look that implies he definitely has more on his mind than just a punch or two. Why she's calling on him instead of me is almost beyond my comprehension, though I quickly remember that she tried to warn me and likely feels I am too injured to be of use.

As if something this insignificant will stop  _me_ , not when I've watched my friends have this much and worse done to them.

Apparently, Touya is the type to follow orders, his expression strangely void of emotion at the moment as he dodges a punch aimed for him with an ease that catches my attention immediately. Is he professionally trained? If so, why is he allowing  _her_  to protect him, instead of the other way around? Had I known he was trained, even just a little, I would have done things just a little differently, and this outcome could have been avoided.

Purrloin shrieks loudly, a sound that sends a cold shiver down my spine as he dodges a kick aimed by the distracted thug who had swung at the young boy and his Dwebble. His claws glow white for a moment, and in a series of swift movements, the denium parts and a howl of anger and pain fills the air as red seeps from the scratches. Shallow ones, from what I can tell, Purrloin is either toying with them the same way I had been earlier, or he was just trying to distract the man long enough for Touya to get to Touko's side.

 _Worry about yourself, N, you're the one who just took a metal stick to the back._  He retorts in my direction, nimbly avoiding another boot aimed in his direction with a yowl and a hiss of anger. The purple feline darted between the man's legs, running swiftly to crouch in front of Touya's feet in an almost exact imitation of Zorua's stance in front of the boy.

His back was nearly pressed against Touko's, Angelo clinging tightly to his shoulder strap and jacket with his claws, and I watched his eyes never blink, following every movement of the man heading for them. He says something I can't make out, and Touko responds just as quietly, her weight going to the balls of her feet once again as one hand goes for her back pocket.

Is she going to involve her Pokemon in this fight? If so, why hasn't she done so earlier than now?

It's two against two, and I don't like those odds any better than I liked the idea of two against three, especially because I don't know what Touko is capable of, and would rather not find out this way. I have to do something, I begin to step forward, ignoring the spasms in my back and the pulling in my ribs.

Purrloin and Zorua snarl at the same time, mouths opening as shadow gathered there, glowing with a creepy black-violet light into a spherical shape. The threat of taking an attack didn't seem to get through to the men, as one reached for Touko- and took a full spray of something she held in her fist right in the face. Zorua released his attack, the soccer ball sized orb flying straight out and hit his intended target square on. His feet skidded along the cement before he hit the side of a building with a dull  _thud._

Touya took a different route, stepping to the side and ducking at the fist flying his way, stepping in before delivering a swift line of punches from his chest to the thin man's stomach. His target's eyes bulged, mouth dropping open as the boy swung up, fist connecting sharply with the man's jaw and sent him falling backward to hit the cement with an equal thud, as well as a  _crack_  as his head hit the cement.

Three assailants, three of us- five including Purrloin and Zorua- and three defeated.

"Officer Jenny's on her way, sis." I look at Touya's, his voice back to quiet and shaking again as he reached out and grabbed her hand. My eyes narrow at this change, he had been a proper defender just a moment ago, what was with this sudden development? Brown eyes suddenly opened again as she pats his shoulder comfortingly with her arm slung around him in support, and look directly at me as I finished closing the distance between us.

I don't like what I see.


	19. Slowly Taken

There is a moment in a man's life where one must establish himself superior over another, usually in the form of some kind of competition or other distinguished form of "I will win, and you will lose" nonsense that we, as humans, are supposed to enjoy. Usually, this matter is solved physically, a practice I am most displeased by and hold great disdain for. However, there are moments where a test of willpower between two individuals is usually enough, a matter of eye contact in which one must break first in order to be considered the inferior out of the two.

I am not sure if this is one of those moments now, but I am certainly not dropping my gaze from this young upstart's own. I will not be intimidated by the intensity in his eyes, nor by the distinctive feeling that he has seen something within me that he dislikes. Immensely, at that. There is something about him that is familiar, that reminds me of Touko in some manner. I cannot place my finger on it exactly, but there is a resemblance that is more than physical.

"...N?  _N_?" Touko's voice is sharp in my ears and my vision of suspicious brown eyes is suddenly replaced by a pair of furious but concerned eyes the color of a summer sky. I blink immediately, startled by the rapid change in face as well as color and find myself taking a step backwards, gaining a little distance between us. I realize only a moment later, as I half-listen to her concerns and insistences about checking to see if anything is broken, damaged or what have you from where I was struck, that I retreated from her.

I backed down from a challenge,  _again_.

What was it with this young woman?

"I'm alright, bruises, nothing more." I reassure her, once she allows me to get in a word edgewise. My eyes flick to Touya, who is no longer looking in my direction, but to where I can hear sirens heading our way. I do not care for the law enforcement, they allow many criminals to run free. Team Rocket, Team Magma, Team Aqua and Team Galactic...  _all_  of them, fools who can't even be contained by those who claim to fight against their terrorist reign. Some aid they are, never once have the police been the ones to disband and aid in their downfall- it's always been by the least likely source; a child, or young teenager who takes them down single handed.

Although, I must admit, it  _is_  nice being fussed over and worried about in this way. Touko has finally done something I find very comforting in its familiarity; it's a young woman's job to be concerned over a hero when they are injured. And, after all, I  _am_  a hero, and I was injured.

 _You're an idiot for being pleased about that._  Zorua mutters as he sidles up to me, giving me a critical look before deciding against leaping up on my shoulder.  _Concordia and Anthea are going to be upset, you know. You're gonna get scolded._  He sounds remarkably pleased about that too, as if he _wants_  me to get scolded. I give him a sideways look in response. I must have upset him a lot more than I'd meant to, I'll have to apologize to him when we're alone again. Aqua eyes look to Touko, and then to Touya.  _...I guess they aren't_ bad _, for humans anyway._ He informs me with a snort.

High praise from Zorua, that's for certain. Then again, he always was impressed when it came to violence and those capable of causing it. Perhaps it was their willingness to inflict harm in my defense that he was pleased with, or that they were willing to stand and fight against an opponent much bigger than they were.

I will have to ask him later, for clarification's sake.

"I should go," I look to Touko. "will you be staying to file the report or shall I walk you back to the Pokemon Center?" There's a stern note in my voice, heavily implying my displeasure with her presence out at this time of night. I won't even get into how annoyed I feel at having her  _in_  that dangerous type of situation. She and Touya exchange a look, one that is rather identical in appearance before she makes a face and says something to him that I don't quite catch.

"Take Touya home, will you?" She says finally, the boy mentioned has his eyes on the ground, fingers tugging his baseball cap down to hide his eyes. "He doesn't need to stick around for this." A pause as she stares at the unconscious men with an irritated look on her face. A moment later, she looks back at me. "And go to a hospital after that, you might have broken ribs." Saying it aloud seems to piss her off more, and she glares at the closest thug as if she's tempted to kick him. "I'll take care of this part, though Burgh's probably gonna tease me."

He does any such thing and I'll squash him like a roach beneath my heel.

I nod to her, reluctant to leave her to face the incompetence of the local police department alone, but willing to allow her to give me the opportunity to slip away without running into Burgh's obnoxious back up. Gym leaders and their ties with police, I thought with disgust as Touya and I head off. I have little idea where this boy lives, so I allow him to somewhat lead the way. It gives me a better chance to study him, after all, and I'm still trying to figure out what it is about him that I don't quite like, but is oddly appealing in the same irritating way that Touko has.

"Why are you stalking Touko?"

I'm admittedly caught off guard by the question, direct and to the point as it is. Coming from the oddly quiet young man, it seemed almost out of character, a tone that suggest my answer is quite important.. and that there were repercussions should I answer incorrectly. "I'm not 'stalking' her, as you put it," I finally tell him, stopping for a moment to catch my breath. My back is starting to tighten. I may need Concordia and Anthea's services more than I initially anticipated, and sooner too. "we were traveling companions, I escorted her here earlier this afternoon."

It's my turn, since I'm not going to let him think he's in control of this situation. If I'm smart, I can get a good deal of information out of this young boy that will be useful to me. Perhaps, just perhaps, I will gain some insight into some of her peculiar behavior. "You called her 'sis', didn't you? Are you also traveling as a Pokemon Trainer?" A useful distraction, though I am sure he will return to the subject of Touko soon enough.

_**/\/\/\/\/\** _

He remains suspicious, but it is of no concern of mine from this point forward. I breathe a shallow sigh of relief once the boy is out of sight in his home, turning away and heading to meet up with Zorua, who hopefully brought Concordia and Anthea with him, on the outskirts of the city. On my way, I consider the options I have, with the new information that boy has given me.

Touya is no trainer, not yet, though he is working hard to attain that goal. The two of them are related through their father, a man, by the way his body language and tone changed, was likely not the most reliable figure in their lives. By the snippet of conversation we exchanged, and his general sadness I could feel when we approached the building he lived in, his mother is not exactly fond of Touko, and the two rarely get to see one another. He seems happy that I don't have her Xtransceiver information, however. I will have to question her further on this, as the situation seems delightfully complicated, and may be one I can use to my advantage in some manner. He is two, almost three years younger than she is and thinks very highly of her- something I am unsurprised by, I have seen little of her that I would not be able to praise in some way or another.

His dream is innocent and sweet, fueled by the energy and determination of a youthful spirit; he wishes to become strong enough to be able to travel around the world on a journey with her.

I am nearly to the gate leading to the desert outside Castelia when there is a familiar presence, Zorua's ears perking up and swiveling back twice to let me know he didn't find the individuals a threat. He doesn't do that for the Shadow Triad, and certainly  _not_  my father, which would mean either Touko has managed to follow me without giving herself away, or-

"Lord N?" Anthea's voice breaks through my thoughts, concern in her brown eyes as she and Concordia swiftly race to my side. They carefully hurry me down one of the paths and sit me down in the shadows of a well maintained park. My eyes and nose catch the smell of something foul, trash littering the once clean ground. Humans.

For a moment, there is the brush of night chilled fingers dancing against my bare flesh, and I despise it, tensing up as soon as contact is made. But, soon enough, there is a warmth that spreads through my body, almost hot at the place her hands gently press against the tightened muscles of my back and ribs, slowly traveling and guiding the heat to where the injuries throbbed and ached the worst. I close my eyes a moment, allowing her the time necessary to do what she needs to do without giving into the urge to pull away.

This is far from the first time she has had to lay her hands upon me in order to rid me of an injury that would set me back. I wait, hearing a small hitch in her breath and carefully pull myself away from her. Concordia is immediately at her side, taking her sister's hand and allowing her hazel gaze to unfocus. I never tire of watching the two of them work their strange abilities on each other, or on another person deemed worthy enough to receive their blessing. There is a soft hiss from her and the two of them both straighten themselves, albeit more gingerly than normal, and look to me. "Your condition?" I inquire, knowing full well their pale faces and trembling hands indicate they have used too much of themselves.

"Satisfactory, my lord." Concordia speaks first, hair a dark gold in the night air. "With rest, our recovery shall be swift." Her arm was around Anthea's waist, supporting her as much as she too was supported by the other woman. She was the one more prone to being outspoken and displaying temper, though Anthea has a way with words that would slice cleaner than any sword or blade known to mankind when she chose to use them.

Anthea's eyes looked through me, I wonder if she too is related to Touya and Touko somehow, they have a very similar stare. "My lord, your condition?" She asks, her voice more tired and toneless than Concordia's soothing one. Her weariness is to be expected; she is the one who pulls from within herself to heal others, taking on the injuries sustained in return.

Concordia's ability comes twofold; she is able to take an agitated soul and soothe it to a peaceful state of being, and she is also able to take some of Anthea's pain as well and bring it into herself. She's often the first one to speak, as I mentioned, and also the first to reach out to touch a Pokemon or human being, as it's in her nature to soothe them, to manipulate their emotions to be more agreeable- especially in the face of healing an injury.

I never would have been able to reach the hearts of some of my friends if not for them.

I straighten my back, studying my body's responses as I stretch, turn and bend in order to see its limits and how much pain remains. Very little, I realize after a time. Lingering stiffness and a tenderness as if I fell out of a tree from a short distance. No tightness, no pulling or sharp pain when I breathe deeply or move, not like I had been taking the boy home. My eyes meet Anthea's and hold her gaze until she demurely drops it, submitting instantly to my will. She has gotten stronger in the recent weeks, this could be concerning should my father find out. I do not want her being experimented on, not the way I had been. Her spirit is too gentle for that, Concordia's as well.

"I am well," I tell her, watching her expression turn from demure and expecting to pleased. She knows she is tapping into power she had felt dormant within her, I realize with a newfound sense of respect for her. She is dear to me, as is Concordia, and if she is pleased by this development, I will certainly be as well on her behalf. "only thanks to you and Concordia." Credit where it is due, I am a stern man at times, but I am just and fair; credit should be given where it is due- and it is certainly due to these two.

"Anthea has made a discovery, my lord," Concordia speaks again, her eyes flicking to her sister and back to me. "there is a school for those with developing... talents, such as ours."

A school? I feel my eyebrows raise in surprise at this news. There was no such thing in the Unova region, I have scoured the land through many means, searching for a place where Psychics trained, but have found nothing. "Where is it located?"

"Saffron City." Anthea replies quietly, awaiting my reaction.

I mull over this information carefully. Kanto was some distance away, where the Rockets had formed and been utterly annihilated some years ago. However... had the child who defeated Team Rocket been gifted with some sort of latent psychic ability that had manifested when he'd needed it the most... perhaps it was not so surprising that they had fallen.

A school for such individuals would imply, in my eyes, that there is a portion of the population emerging with psychic abilities. They too had their own detestable Elite Four and Gym Leader system, and if memory serves correctly, Sabrina is the name of Saffron's...

Oh.

Concordia's expression is amused when she notices the moment I make the connection between Saffron City's psychic school and its leader. "I will grant you leave to attend this school, if you so desire." It will hurt losing them, but it may be a blessing to have them somewhere safe, and out of my father's reach for the time being. I must give them the choice, however, I do not wish to step on any dreams of their own, or hamper their own journey to reaching their potential.

Both of them shake their heads instantly. "We merely wished to inform you of its existence, nothing more." A lie doused in honey is still a lie, and I know them well enough by this point to know there is almost  _always_  something more to their words.

 _They want you to go too._  Zorua tells me, leaping back on to my shoulder now that he knows it will not hurt me to carry his weight.  _It wouldn't be a bad idea, if, you know, we weren't busy. Maybe they can find that kid's sire, you know, it might make her happy too. She sounds like the kinda girl who'd wanna beat him up for being such a loser._  Tiny white fangs glinted in the light in his own silent laughter.

I give him a stern look, though I don't entirely count his suggestion out. "I need you two to run a history search on someone." I give them the name of the man and add in Touya's name additionally, figuring it couldn't hurt to get information on him as well. Touko will have to suffice the next time I see her for such matters, especially since the boy gave me little information as to how he is so proficient in self-defense, but takes such a passive role in everything.

Concordia and Anthea incline their heads, agreeing to do as I ask, though I can tell the former of the two has additional questions she would like to ask. She seems to choose her questions wisely, a double-edged blessing, as it only means it'll be the most aggravating time when she decided to bring the subject back up again.

"Lord N?" Anthea, I can tell without looking which one of them is speaking even as I turn to head back into the city, back to where a very complex problem still remained with all the extra variables that made her at once intriguing, and ultimately frustrating.

I pause, looking back over my shoulder and patiently await what Anthea wishes to tell me- or ask me.

She hesitates a moment, Concordia giving her a squeeze of encouragement against her side, before finally speaking softly. "Where will you go?" There's an odd look on her face, yet another person who's expression implies that a very specific answer is required so as not to disappoint.

I take my chances and reply with an equally soft voice, eyes flicking back to the direction I intend to go. "To pay our dear Gym Leader and loyal defender of the city a personal visit." I'm not particularly proud of the venom that slips into my voice, nor the sarcasm that's rather unbecoming for a king, but it's a true, honest answer- and thus hopefully one that will satisfy her. I begin to walk, giving a wave of my hand in good-bye, I would see them soon, so there would be no need for more formalities.

Burgh and I needed to have another little chat, and this time, there would be no interference.


End file.
